


As Time Repeats Itself

by Divinelyy



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Pack, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 26,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Divinelyy/pseuds/Divinelyy
Summary: In life, sometimes people tire of you. They come across a new toy and you are shelved till further notice. Sometimes you’re thrown away. The only constant, is pack. Or is it?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Comments: 17
Kudos: 88
Collections: Angsty Angst Times, Don't Wanna Get Rid Of You





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a long outline for a story I wanted to write but I just never got the strength to flesh it out and/or correct it. This is completely unedited. I did not proofread anything so please forgive me if that offends you. I just wanted to get this out there so it wouldn’t go to waste. Feel free to comment and ask questions and give suggestions. Whatever you like or dislike, I want to know. Thank you.

“Thank you for coming.”

Satori brushes pass her grandson and into the foyer. She eyes his, ‘charming’, home in revulsion. She recalls being told that he was a minimalist, but compared to the opulence of her home in the sky, the boy was living in squalor. Not one maid or butler in sight. No gold, or no velvet, no ceiling to floor windows, no vases, or statues. Just white walls with one or two small framed photographs of trees and flowers. It was appalling.

“So, why am I here?” Satori turns to watch Daichi as he closes the door. A delicate eyebrow raises when he smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head. He hadn’t counted on how intimidating her aura could be.

“Its been a little over 500 years since I last saw you in person, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, you summon me to this.. this hovel.”

Even though her voice is harsh and unforgiving, Satori’s ever youthful face remains expressionless as she slips out of her black jacket. Her pure white dress gives her an almost heavenly appearance.

“Its mother... I didn’t know who else to call.”

Satori doesn’t know if she wants to laugh or cry, so she shouts “Of course you didn’t!” She flings her jacket at his face. Daichi catches it before it hits him and quickly moves to hang it up on the rack by the door. At least she didn’t say no.

“Kept away from my Grandchild for all these years and the only reason I was invited to this shack of yours is because you need something!”

Turning away from him she takes a breath, catching the scent of her daughter-in-law. Clearing her throat, she ventures deeper into his home, heels clicking loudly on marble.

“Your shoes...” Daichi mumbles holding a pair of house slippers. He shakes his head, drops the slippers and rushes to catch up to her.

Satori runs a hand through her long sliver tresses and stops short at the staircase, “We had such fun when you were a child! Your parents hate me, I did nothing to warrant being kept away from my grandson.”

Daichi stares at his grandmothers back and begins to wonder if maybe calling her was a mistake. He forgot how dramatic the demoness could be.

“You tried to teach me how to kill..”

Slowly Satori turns her head to look at him over her shoulder, such insolence!

“That’s the way things were done back then! Someone had to teach you how to be strong! How to appreciate life as well as death. God knows that human of a mother couldn’t be trusted to do it.”

Daichi puts his face in his hands and tries to keep his ire in check, “I was 5.”

“And that gardener had it coming! My lessons were easy compared to the teachings of your great grandfather. My teachings are nothing compared to how he taught me and my siblings. I had 3 kills by the time I was 5!”

Finally Satori begins to slowly make her way upstairs, “I see you’ve cut your hair.. Thank God your grandfather isn’t alive to see it. Our long hair is a symbol of our royalty, of our power. Yet you’ve traded it all in for shaved sides and a light fringe. Its bad enough you have those ears... if it wasn’t for my superior genetics you’d be the spiting image of your wretched uncle.”

They’ve only made it to the fourth step and Daichi isn’t sure how much of this he can take, “Grandmother.. please.”

Satori sighs and places a hand over her heart, a light smile on her face, “I remember holding you in my arms only a few hours after you were born. You looked so much like me, and despite being half human, you bore my house’s mark on your forehead! A crescent moon, beautiful sliver hair and those gray eyes.. you were perfect. Now look at you!” She turns and eyes him from head to toe in disgust.

“I look the same.”

“No you don’t. You’ve aged, you’ve gotten bigger! You have no need for me, just like everyone else! Ugh! Gone are the days of you playing with the fabric of my kimono, of me carrying you through the garden on my hip. This is all your mothers fault, I should’ve killed her when I had the chance.”

She couldn’t understand why his mother wanted to shelter him, it wasn’t the way demons did things. Daichi would one day inherit a large kingdom that took up most of Japan as well as the skies above it. He would rule demons as well as humans. Satori may have lost her chance during his formative years but the pup was only 500 years old, she still had time to guide him. She still had things to teach him. Besides, Sesshomaru didn’t seem to want another pup,  
so Daichi was it.

“You are my heir, when I retire, you will rule over the heavens and when your father retires Western Japan will be yours as well. Your mother, so powerful yet so terribly human, has no idea how important it is for all weakness to be snuffed out. You were born with the potential to be more powerful than your father, more powerful than me. You need guidance.”

Satori stops and turns to look at her grandson, “Your father is weak because I let Taisho take over his training instead of doing it myself and entrusting him to my father and my people. But you! You were going to be taught to rule, not just govern, but that witch and that weak son of mine just HAD to interfere!”

Satori growls in frustration then turns to continue their journey to the second floor.

They walk down the short hallway in silence then come to a stop in front of a closed door. Satori frowns, “How about I get rid of those mutations you call ears, and we go have crembule at my place?”

“Grandmother.. Please!”

Satori rolls her eyes and opens the door to a nicely decorated room with a dresser, a chair and a large bed. Walking closer she stares down at the frail form of a young human woman with long black hair, her pale sickly looking skin covered in a light sheen of sweat.

‘Hn, How the Western Lady has fallen...’

“Hello, Kagome.”

The woman opens her eyes and smiles weakly at the regal demoness’ blank face, “Satori..”

Daichi sits on the edge of the bed and moves his mothers bangs from her eyes hopefully theres a chance she could be saved. Kagome closes them again and seemly goes back to sleep.

Satori reaches for the collar of Kagome’s shirt. She pulls it down and exposes the juncture between her neck and shoulder on the right side.

Looking closely, she sees the aura of her son, green thread trying to pull away from the pink of Kagome’s aura. The pink strands holding to the green, braiding around it, and slowly but surely easing the green back into Kagome’s body.

She lets go of the shirt, sits in the chair next to the bed and crosses her legs.

It’s just as she thought.

“My son is such a disappointment.”

Daichi frowns, “Whats happening to her?”

“She is fighting.”

“Fighting?”

“For her mate. Sesshomaru has broken their mating bond, he has either chosen another or he’s simply grown tired of her. He’s calling his youki back... his soul.”

Daichi bites his lip, “Whats going to happen?”

“If she is strong, she or both of them will keep their mating marks and things will remain as they are for her. If she is weak, the piece of Sesshomaru’s soul that she houses will return to him and Kagome will begin to age like a regular human. She’ll die in about 50 maybe 60 years.”

Daichi takes a deep breath and tries to steady himself, he knew his parent’s were having problems but not to this extent. His mother said she didn’t want to be in the house alone while father was ‘away on business’ so she came to stay with him for a while.

“How long has she been like this?”

He had just gotten home from work when he found her collapsed in between the kitchen and the living room. She had hit her head on a table in the hall then fell on to the marble floor, she must have been there for hours. He had no idea what was happening to her. Father refused to answer his phone and the people at his company claimed to have no idea where he was.

Daichi healed the bruises from his mother’s fall and when she didn’t move and only got worse, he called his uncle, who advised him as best he could from another continent. Nothing Inuyasha suggested worked. Despite looking like a 20 year old and actually being a bit over 500 , Daichi was still a pup in many ways. He had power but he knew his grandmother had more than him, his uncle and his father.

He knew his grandmother, Lady of the Moon, would have the answers, and so he called her in the middle of the night. Begging her to come to him. If grandmother couldn’t help, no one could.

“About 3 days..”

Satori relaxes in her seat and nods,  
“She’s strong.”

******

She had risen early that morning, bathed and put on some light makeup. She was done for the most part, ready to start her day and had been sitting at the vanity, brushing her hair, when she felt it. A pain like nothing she ever felt before. Satori couldn’t help the scream that slipped from her lips when she felt Taisho’s soul try to rip itself from her. She fought for him, Satori refused to lose, she willed her youki to hold on to his.

It was hours later when Taisho finally arrived. The servants of the palace had vacated the entire wing and were too frightened to check on her. The sound of her screams rattling their bones.

Taisho opens the door to her personal rooms only to see his mate half crazed. Satori’s once immaculate room is destroyed, furniture over turned and broken, glass littering the floor along with anything that wasn’t nailed down. Amongst the debris was The Western Lady, screaming while clawing at anything and everything, eyes red and crescent moon glowing. Her make-up smudged and smeared, hair wild, some of it sticking to her face. A far cry from the dainty beauty he was used to.

“Satori, let me go. You are only hurting yourself.” Taisho keeps his voice devoid of all emotion even though the demoness before him was making him a bit uncomfortable.

Satori screams again, and claws at her own face trying to distract herself from the pain of her mating bond. Blood drips down her face, soaking her once lavish kimono as she rips through her delicate features. The wounds heal almost as quickly as she makes them and so she continues to sink her claws deeper.

Taisho remains unaffected. He stands tall and looks down his nose at her. His mate.

“Why are you doing this!? Who is she!?” Satori puts both hands over her mark and uses her entire being to keep his soul inside her.

Taisho sighs, he didn’t realize she cared so much. He knew Satori was fond of him, but he didn’t want fondness. He wanted more than that.

“I’ll kill her! I swear it! I swear it!”

Such emotion. He’s never seen her like this before. So open, bare, distraught. To see someone that was once so proud and cool reduced to a ranting maniac, he almost felt guilty.

Satori knew she could make this stop she just had to concentrate, she just needed one second... she screams as another shock spreads through her body. The pain coming from the mating mark was unlike anything she ever experienced. She burned from the inside out, his youki attacked her and instead of lashing out her youki tried to embrace his.

The faint scent of her tears catches Taisho by surprise and he realizes that this is the second time that he’s ever seen her cry. The first being the birth of their son. It was too much.

“Stop this! I lov-“

In one swift motion Taisho grabs Satori by her neck and slams her into the nearest wall. She stares at him with wide eyes, shocked by the strength in his grip and the feel of his claws digging into her neck. Wounding her. Satori’s response is delayed. A moment passes as she looks down at the hand around her neck in confusion, then looks back up at Taisho’s face. Horrified surprise slowly replaces confusion as her jaw goes slack and she gasps, completely taken off guard she falters and its done.

The last bits of his youki absorbs into his hand, and Taisho promptly tosses Satori to the ground, almost wincing when when the floor cracks from the force he used. He waits for her to get up but she stays on the floor, her face pressed against the cool cracked marble with bits of it embedded into her cheek, eyes closed and barely breathing. He couldn’t help but think it odd that she didn’t attempt to strike him or try to dodge his attack. Satori is no push over and is just as powerful as him. Maybe even more so. Did she truly have that much faith in him? Did she truly believe putting his hands on her was beneath him?

“You may keep this castle. I will have another built near the eastern border.”

Having said his peace, he turns from her and never looks back. Taisho tells the servants to let their lady be and to not set foot in her room. They do as they’re told and go about their day, waiting for their Lady to re-emerge.

Its days later when Satori finally gathers the strength to remove herself from the floor and ignore the newly formed hole in her soul. To pretend it didn’t matter. She goes through the motions of bathing herself, dressing, of doing her hair and makeup on a ripped up chair while looking into a broken mirror. She stops applying her lip rouge when her eyes catch sight of bruising on her neck and indents from Taisho’s claws.. she presses a finger to one of the holes and frowns, it had been at least a week and it still bled. Concentrating she wills her youki to heal the wounds, whats left behind is smooth and scar free. With a sigh, she leaves her room and the castle and returns home. To the kingdom of her people, to The Imperial House of The Moon.

Upon entering her father’s house, the palace, her childhood home, Satori places her mask of indifference back into place. None will know of her heart ache or embarrassment. She walks into the throne room and keeps her head held high as the people whisper when they realize they could no longer sense her mating mark.

Her sisters laugh lowly as she passes, one of them whispering, “Father was right about you Tori”.

They were all right. Taisho did not love her, and despite being so old she was still so naive. So young and foolish to believe in an earthly being. To believe that someone like her could be loved. To believe she could trust anyone.

When she finally reaches her father, he truly looks at her. He sees pass her cold eyes and bored expression and sees how hurt his little girl is. He shakes his head in disappointment, yet hugs her close.

He had given his blessing to Tashio to mate his daughter because he saw how happy Satori was with the earthly demon. Despite how he felt about Satori, he was her father, and he wanted her to know some kind of joy. However he saw fit to warn her that it wouldn’t last and she needed to find a mate amongst her own people. He told her Taisho was not meant for her, that earthly dog demons were too weak to deal with their counter parts of the moon. That their alliance between the heavens and the earth should stay as such and never should a mating happen, royalty or not. Satori simply listened, after he finished his short lecture, she retired to her rooms and soon went on to leave them all to follow her chosen to earth. A choice that not only angered their pack but the people of their kingdom.

Satori visited often, however once she returned with Sesshomaru following behind her, all was forgiven. A male child was something he had wanted for a long time, a child he could treat as the son he’d always wished for. His other daughters gave birth to more female pups, he loved them all dearly, but he still wished for a grandson. With the birth of Sesshomaru he thought his prayers had been answered. Yet Satori listened to her mate and refused to let him train and teach Sesshomaru their ways. Leaving Satori to the task with a mate that was more than unhelpful in the endeavor. Taisho preferring to teach Sesshomaru the art of the sword instead of internal power.

The king sighed as he watched Satori walk to her chambers, her sisters snickering, the common people present whispering curiously. He cleared his throat and signaled for the court to continue with the days proceedings.

—————————————

Its 5 years later when Satori finally saw Taisho again. When she walked into her private study and sat across from him, she couldn’t help but grace him with one of her rare smiles. He hadn’t changed a bit, his sliver hair pulled into a long flowing pony tail, his sent washed over her and she felt like she had returned home after a long arduous day. She missed him. She still loved him.

“What brings you to the Imperial House of the Moon, Great Dog Demon of the West?” The proud man before her pulls down the collar of his shirt and there it was. The first and only scar on his body. Her mark. Intact. Proof that they had cared for each other once. Proof that once upon a time, he had loved her to the point of tying their souls.

“I’ve tried everything to get rid of it, everything but asking you to remove it.” Taisho’s eyes are hard, his handsome features pulled into a scowl. He didn’t want to come to her but it was his only choice. Once this was done he could finally be free.

Satori nods in understanding, she opens her fan and pretends to think on the subject.

“You are mine. Unlike you, when I said forever, I meant it. I may no longer belong to you, and that’s fine, but you will always be mine. We’ve been together for 700 years, how could I throw that way? How could you?”

Taisho narrows his eyes and Satori tries not to cry out at the amount of hate directed at her.

She was a good mate. She loved him the only way she knew how. Expressing any emotion besides superiority, anger and annoyance had been beaten out of her long ago. Yet for him she tried, and for their pup she succeeded. Their pup had only seen her smiles and heard her laughter. She was powerful, intelligent, and beautiful. She was loyal, gave him space, she helped when he asked, gave him power over life with the Tenseiga and gave him a powerful son. Why didn’t he want her anymore?

What had she done that was so terrible?

Taisho huffs and tries to appeal to her sensitive side, “Izyaoi is pregnant.”

Satori nods, “Not only was my mate stolen from me by a human, but now there will be visual representation of my shame. Thank you.”

“I can’t mate her if your claim still stands.”

“She is welcome to challenge me at any time. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted human blood...”

Taisho slams a hand on the table, but Satori does not flinch.

“I could slit your throat right now and no one would bat an eye. Your father and sisters would thank me. Your own son wouldn’t care.”

Satori shrugs, “It is no secret that I am my honorable father’s least favorite, yet and still he named me, his successor.” Taisho’s eyes widen in shock at the news. Satori, an all powerful Queen in a kingdom where none will tell her no? It was almost frightening.

“My sisters and I have never been friendly. My son is no longer a pup and doesn’t want to learn what I have to teach, its the way of life. We all become useless at one point or another.”

Taisho’s eyes soften “She is human, she can’t go against you and win. What do you stand to gain with a one sided mating bond? She will die in a few years if I don’t tie her to me in some way. I feel how much pain you’re in Tori, let me go.”

Satori turns away from him then, her delicate fingers press lightly against her neck where, years ago his hands had gripped and his claws had dug in. She loved him, with Taisho her guard was always down, even though she was angry and hurting that day, she never thought he’d put his hands on her. Never had she even dreamed him being capable of such a betrayal.

“What do I care if she dies, Taisho? Its what humans do. If she can’t fight me then she is not worthy of you.”

She trusted him, she let her guard down around him and no other because she thought he, of all people wouldn’t hurt her. She was so foolish. She couldn’t trust her sisters or her father, her pack, what made her think he would be different? But still, he was hers, and she was his. She loved him, so maybe love didn’t require trust? She loved her family and didn’t trust them, perhaps that was normal.

“I’d rather you feel my pain for all eternity than be free of it, I’d rather die knowing that despite your petulance, we will meet again in the afterlife. Our souls will learn from this folly and in our next life, things will be different.”

“Satori, Don’t be so selfish!”

Satori tosses her head back as laughter over takes her senses. Her face turns red and her cheeks start to hurt. Forcing herself to calm down she giggles, “Even in tragedy, you still manage to make me laugh.”

He growls at her, his eyes tinged pink as his aura shoves against hers violently. Satori sighs and slams her aura into his even harder, the force of their shoving match causes the table to shake. He took her by surprise the last time they were alone, it won’t happen a second time.

Looking into his eyes Satori can’t find the man she fell in love with, staring back at her is a stranger but she’s sure he’s in there... somewhere. So she speaks with a calm she doesn’t possess.

“You may hate me now but in a few years, when that human is dead and gone, you will come to your senses. You may not believe it, but I love you.” Satori attempts to lay her hand on his but he removes it from the table before they touch. She frowns, he’s never shied away from her before.

This thing he had with the human would pass. She was sure of it.

“Taisho... Trust in me to forgive this mistake and to protect you from yourself.”

“This is madness! Its over. We are done.” Taisho just wanted it all to end, he wanted Satori’s mark gone, he wanted Izyaoi as his mate and he wanted his children by his side. Sesshomaru barely spoke to him as it was but perhaps once he mated Izyaoi and made her a true member of their pack, he’d come around. The boy was the spitting image of his mother, maybe making her pack would only anger him more? Either way Taisho needed to salvage what he had and extend Izyaoi’s life. If getting rid of Satori is what it took, so be it.

Satori’s frown deepened. Was Taisho sick? Was there a spell cast on him? He wasn’t in his right mind, he’s going to destroy himself and the small bit of family she had with him. He was weak, but she was still powerful. When the news of his human lover and half breed child spreads to the rest of Japan, she would be sure to defend him. Her strength will become his and when he recovered he would thank her. Yes. She would protect him and their son... their children?

“Despite being upset about how the child came to exist, I will not force you to abandon the half-breed. I will make them strong.”

She would swallow her pride and raise Taisho's bastard as her own. She would love it the way she loved Sesshomaru and strike down all that opposed it. The pup would be Sesshomaru’s equal in every way. All would be fine. She just had to be strong, strong enough for all of them. She would be Queen soon and none would dare to question her. The half breed would be well taken care of.

“Satori, stop this.”  
“I love you.”

Satori’s version of love frightened him at times. Taisho was sure if he told Satori the world had wronged him, she would seek to end it. She had killed many for slights toward him, known and rumored. Satori’s love was unmoving, overwhelming, all encompassing, violent, needy and strangely selfish in its selflessness. Izyaoi’s love was a whisper, it was quiet, soft and tender. Qualities The Lord Of The Imperial House of The Moon had beaten out of all his pups, especially Satori.

“I will train the half-breed. They will learn all that Sesshomaru didn’t and together they will be unstoppable. I won’t be as harsh as my father was, but I will still make them strong. I will love it as my own.”

All of the Lord’s pups had been girls, all of them were raised with a iron fist to beget strong women. Satori had been thought to be a boy, upon her birth there was only resentment. The Lord and Lady tried two more times for a boy and again received more girls. Their mother died giving birth to the last pup and after their father recovered from the loss, he over saw all their lessons. Satori was chastised more so than her sisters. Her pack blamed her for the loss of a member, blamed her for not being the son they hoped her to be when she was still in her mothers womb.

Her father claimed she was weaker than her siblings. She was’t. Yet an still he trained and beat Satori out of her alleged weakness and into strength. He beat her for not being what the pack wanted her to be.

“Satori, our pup is the only being you love. You don’t love me, and if you do, I don’t want the kind of love you're offering. I don’t love you, and honestly I don’t think anyone does!”

Remembering literally having her neck in his hand, Taisho releases a frustrated sigh, “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

Satori wonders again what shes done that is so terrible. Why her mate of 700 years had no problem hurting her so. Tears sting her eyes and blur her vision but she refused to let them fall. “In this moment, you remind me so much of my father... Your cruelty truly knows no bounds.”

Taking a deep calming breath, Taisho shakes his head, he gazes into Satori’s watery golden eyes and makes a vow, “If you step one paw on land, I will kill you.”

Taisho shoves away from the table, his chair clatters to the floor from the force of the action. Satori watches him leave and tries to commit his smell to her memory. He won’t be back for her. Her only comfort was knowing she wasn’t strong enough to keep him and he wasn’t strong enough to rid himself of her.. they were a match.

“If you step one paw on land, I will kill you.”

He was serious. It wasn’t a threat, but a promise. If they ever came to blows the fight would last for days, it could end in a draw or if one of them made a tiny infinitesimal mistake the other would take that opportunity to deal the killing blow. They were both stronger than either of their packs knew. If anyone had enough power to kill him, it was her and vice versa.

Satori knew that even though she was putting on a brave face while in his presence, she wouldn’t fight him back, wouldn’t even try to defend herself. Dying didn’t scare her, it was the thought of her life ending by his hands that left her shaken.

“I will kill you...”

When Taisho warred with the humans over Izyaoi, Satori was saddened that he would risk so much for that slip of a boring girl. When the dragons attacked, she stayed in her kingdom of clouds and watched. She wasn’t the Lady Of The Western lands anymore. Satori belonged to her father once again and could do nothing to aid him in this battle. When he fought the human Samurai shortly after fighting a dragon and died, she tried to revive him but his soul did not heed her call.

Even in death he refused her.

She didn’t and could not attend his funeral. Only watched from the clouds. She couldn’t mourn him like her heart demanded, no one could know how distraught she was. Satori was her father’s successor, his heir, she could have no weaknesses. However, that didn’t stop her from being angry. Her mate had abandoned her, allowed himself to die and his whore still breathed. The ignorant wench raised the half breed pup as if it was human.

It reached 7 summers and still couldn’t defend himself. Taisho’s half breed looked so much like him, the resemblance made her heart ache, that boy should’ve been hers!

Inuyasha should have been her son!

Satori couldn’t help but wonder what he would have looked like if she had birthed him. If she had given birth to Inuyasha, would he have had Taisho’s markings or hers?

Her gut told her Taisho’s and her blood boiled. A pup that should have been hers, stolen by a human.

She deserved her right to be angry, to be bitter, especially when Izayoi died and left the pup alone in a human village.

Satori couldn’t take the pup in like she wanted because she had no right to claim him. She was the disgraced ex-mate of his father, she was nothing to him and couldn’t give him a home or a title. Sesshomaru was too hurt by Taisho’s willingness to die for someone who he felt destroyed his pack, and refused to acknowledge the half breed. Satori pushed for Sesshomaru to take Inuyasha in but his response was “Let father’s precious humans see to him.”

“If you step one paw on land...”

When her son wanted to see her, she demanded he visit the palace in the sky. He hated it, he hated the people, he hated his aunts, and he hated his grandfather. When he needed her most Satori refused to help if he didn't venture to her home. She never told him why. Never told him of his father’s threat, never confessed that she feared the words of a demon that had been dead for years. Only that she would never visit earth. Compounding his dislike for her and strengthening his refusal to have anything to do with the dog demons of the sky.

“One paw..”

It wasnt until 253 years later when her grandson Daichi was born, did she dare return to earth. When she looked into his soft gray eyes and gently caressed the crescent moon on his forehead, all her fears melted away.

******

Daichi stares at his mothers sickly face, her scent taking on the stench of decay around the edges. It was all too much.

“Grandmother.. I’m not ready for her to die.”

Satori nods, “If she dies, I will bring her back.”

Daichi looks at her confused, “Wouldn’t you need Tenseiga?”

“Tenseiga?” Satori laughs, “Just where do you think your grandfather received the knowledge to make such a, heavenly sword?”

“Why, from the heavenly dog demons of the moon of course.” A deep voice answers.

Sesshomaru makes his way into the room, his eyes trained on Kagome’s prone form. Daichi growls at his father, “I’ve been calling you! Stop this! Mother can’t take much more!”

His father ignores him and steps further into the room, his eyes never leaving Kagome’s prone form. Daichi frowns and erects a barrier around his mother unsure if his father should be trusted. He disappeared for days and ignored his calls, Satori said his mothers sickness was his fault. There was no way she could be wrong.

“Come to finish the job, have you?” A light voice asks.

“Mother, you may return home.”

Sesshomaru’s face is unreadable as he touches the red bubble encasing his mate and son. He frowns when the energy dances along his skin, he’d forgotten his son had some holy power.

Soft laughter fills the somber air, “Where ever my heir lives, is my home.” Satori begins to inspects her claws, “So, tell mother why you are absolutely determined to kill your mate?”

Sesshomaru snorts, “Kagome won’t die.”

“She certainly won’t live very long, now will she? She’ll be one bad cold away from dying like the other humans of this world.”

“If thats her fate then so be it.”

Sesshomaru can see his youki reaching for him, trying to answer his call to return, only to be wrapped up in vines of pink and pulled back. He could feel Kagome’s pain, another nuisance that needed to go.

“Is there another? Is she too weak to face the Shikon Miko, The Lady of the Western Lands? Are you so much like your disgraced father, that you’d destroy your family as he did?” Satori closed her eyes and took a deep breath, had he learned nothing of the past?

“Daichi.” Kagome whispers her son’s name completely confused by the shield of holy power surrounding them. Blinking her bleary eyes she pushes down the stabbing feeling in her neck and chest and calls his name again. When he doesn’t respond she turns her head to see what has him so focused.

Sesshomaru.. He was alright! When the pain first started she thought he had died or was dying, so when his youki tried to leave she held on. Despite how it fought her, she willed her reiki to wrap his soul in a warm embrace. Now that he’s here and seemingly perfectly fine... its still fighting and the pain is only becoming stronger.

“You’re awake.” His voice is different. She looks into his eyes and... its not the same. Somethings, off about him.

“I’am..” Daichi helps Kagome sit up with her back against the headboard of the bed, never once dropping the shield around them. Satori folds her hands in her lap and waits for the worst to happen.

“I wish to dissolve this mating.” Sesshomaru almost winces when he sees Kagome’s face drop, sees her heart break.

Kagome presses a hand to her mating mark, the pain of it was much worse than when that evil witch stole her soul and used it to revive Kikyou all those years ago. It hurt more than anything she’d ever experienced, it twisted within her and dug deep to claw and stab her.. She bites her lip to try to shift the focus from one pain to another. She can’t think straight.

“Why?”  
“This arrangement was something I wanted at one point in my life. However, presently I no longer desire it.”

“Arrangement? Do you hear yourself!? I am not some object that you can just return to the store once you tire of it. I am your mate, I mean something.”

“You still do, you are the mother of my pup.”

Kagome scoffs, she wants to scream but Satori and Daichi are here. The pain intensifies and without realizing it she’s reaching up and running a hand through her hair, fighting the urge to rip the strands from the roots.

Kagome wasn’t a fool, she knew this day would come. The business trips that for some reason she was no longer allowed to accompany him on, the distance he created between them by erecting a barrier in their mating bond. Effectively cutting her off from his emotions and his location. That time he growled at her when she touched his hand...

“Will it make you happy? Being free of me? Will throwing away everything bring you joy?”

“I am not throwing you away. I am ending a mating so that I am be able to pursue other interests, so that you may do the same.”

“Mother don’t!”

Kagome knows first hand what its like to try to force a relationship, trying to convince someone to want you.. to love you... it’s what happened with Inuyasha until she realized that she was only hurting herself.

“But, will you be happy?”  
“Yes.”

Kagome lightly pats her son’s hand and closes her eyes. Ever the masochist, she just had to know, “Did you... did you ever love me?”

Sesshomaru raises his head a bit higher, “Do not ask questions you already know the answer to.”

Kagome nods her head “600 years is a long time for a human, huh?”

“Do something!” Daichi shouts at his grandmother. Satori had the age, she had the power and the ability to stop this, she had to!

Kagome’s power flares against Daichi’s shield, as it breaks a blot of green lightning leaves her body and sinks to Sesshomaru’s chest.

“Mother.. are you alright?” Daichi frowns watching his mother look around the room, looking at her hands and arms, completely and utter lost.

“I... I..” She wanted to die, she felt so empty and so alone.

“Now, remove your mark.”

Satori stands and presses a hand to the top of Kagome’s head, despite her sons foolish actions, she wouldn’t leave the poor girl without any family besides her child “We are leaving. Daichi, get your mothers things.”

“She cannot leave.”  
“Sure she can! You hold no say in the matter, she is no longer a member of your pack.”

Sitting next to Kagome as Daichi packs a bag, Satori smiles, “The last of her family died almost 100 years ago, her position in your pack has been usurped and you’ve basically issued her a death sentence. She is my heir’s mother, it’s only natural for me to take her in.”

“This has nothing to do with you, stay out of our affairs.”

“She is my heir’s mother, that makes her pack. And as her Alpha, her affairs, are mine as well.”

Sesshomaru growls lowly at his mother as she continues to run her fingers through Kagome’s hair. Covering the shocked girl in her sent.

“Stay out of this, now is not the time to avenge your losses.”

His mother chuckles, “This is why despite being my son, I never named you my heir. You are selfish and too earthly to grasp the idea of true power. Of finding value in devotion and tradition. You are fickle.”

Sesshomaru growls at her, “Father was right about you.”

“Your father was many things, right was not one of them.”

He thought she of all people would be pleased that he was ending the mating. She said so herself, on many occasions, that she hated Kagome.

“Daichi!”

Her grandson is by her side in an instant, a bag in each hand and a jacket under his arm, “Yes grandmother?”

“Look at your father.”

Daichi does as he’s told and eyes his sire from head to toe, after a moment, Satori speaks again, “That is what true weakness looks like.”

“Yes, grandmother.”

“Hand the bags to the servant thats been waiting for me outside, then return here for you’re honorable mother.” Daichi races from the room and as soon as he’s gone, Sesshomaru approaches the bed once more and stares at Kagome with cold indifference.

“Remove your mark Kagome.”

“No.” The once silent woman whispers.

“Is it that terrible to be mated to someone who loves you so? Does it truly mean so little?” Satori questions with a frown.

“Make her remove the mark mother.” Sesshomaru closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, he didn’t have time for this. He wanted to be as far from here as possible.

“You can’t do it yourself?” Satori giggles at her sons anger “You two were a match. What a pitty.”

Daichi returns and picks his mother up from the bed, he’s a few steps away from the front door when he smells it. The scent of slow human decay had settled in.. she’d be gone in 50 years or so just like his grandmother said.

“Well!” Satori stands and adjusts her blouse and skirt, a small smile on her face. “You’ve finally surpassed your father, where he failed you will succeed.”

Sesshomaru looks at her curiously, what did she mean by that?

“He failed to kill his mate, but you won’t.” Having said her peace, Satori brushes pass him and uses her speed to exit out the front door.

Once outside she quickly looks over her servant, grandson and newly found daughter. Her servant makes a hand gesture and a portal opens to reveal a great staircase surrounded by clouds. It was time to return home, to The Imperial House Of The Moon.

_______________________________________

“You brought a human here?!” One of her sisters growl out her eyes narrowed in displeasure.

Satori steps forward, blocking her sister’s view of Daichi guiding Kagome down the hall toward the guest wing.

“She is no human.”

“Then what is she!?”

“Mine.” Satori smiles at her sister, daring her to challenge the claim. Instead she nods her head and walks away, shouting over her shoulder, “Thank the Gods that Father isn’t alive to see you bring even more disgrace to our name.”

Satori resists the urge to roll her eyes, reminding herself that it wouldn’t look very good politically if she killed all of her sisters.

_______________________________________

Daichi isn’t sure how he remembers the way to the room he used to stay in during his visits as a child. Looking around at the other demons lingering in the halls, watching him guide a human woman. The crescent moon on his forehead prevented all from questioning or interfering with their trek. A small blessing.

Upon entering the room, Daichi walks his mother to the large bed in the center and helps her get under the covers. Ensuring that she was asleep and her breath had evened out, he leaves to find his grandmother.

He finds her in her private study having a cup of tea. She invites him in and motions for him to join her at the table. Satori looks at her grandson, his face a perfect blend of his parents. Grey eyes a result of the gold of his father and blue of his mother clashing. His features sharp and refined, not a blemish or marking save the crescent on his forehead. The power from both his parents make him nearly invincible. He’s intelligent, strong, immune to holy powers, immune to all poisons, possessed the power to purify and could also wield and create demonic weapons. His scent and the triangular ears swiveling on top of his head are the only proof of him being a half demon. Daichi was still young and had much to learn but Satori had faith he’d be greater than them all. She’d make sure of it.

“After being kept away from you for so long, I’m afraid I have no idea who you are as a person.” She had three regrets in life: allowing fear to keep in her home for centuries, leaving Inuyasha amongst the humans and not knowing her grandson...

“I know grandmother.. I’m sorry it took all of this to happen for us to get together.. for me to visit you.. what are we going to do about mom?”

Satori lightly sips her tea. She had her heir and she gained a daughter, she’d finally have what she tried to all those years ago; a family. Kagome, once she got herself together would be a good daughter, if she could learn to follow her directions for once.

“Kagome is strong. She will be fine.”

There was nothing to worry about. The girl would heal within a year or so, age, then die. It was what humans did after all.

“Things here are different than they are on earth. Family and a few servants live here in the palace, you answer to no one. Your aunts are... they can not be trusted.”

“You, mother, and father are my pack.” Daichi remembers being told something similar by his father when visiting distant cousins. Family could not be fully trusted, only pack.

“I wish to see to your training, to impart the knowledge your father didn’t see a use for. As many demons have in this modern age, you have grown complacent and so tomorrow I will teach you that despite an era of supposed peace there is still life and death.”

Daichi nods in agreement. This is his grandmothers dream, to teach him, something that she wasn’t able to do with his father. He knew what she had to educate him on was important and he was more than willing to learn. To make up for the time they spent apart, first at the fault of his parents and then due to his own self-centeredness.

“What about mom..”

“I told you she will be fine. Don’t worry about her, shes strong. She lasted 3 days where I, after only a few hours, had sunk into madness.” She remembers it like it was yesterday, pain like nothing she had ever experienced.. the bored look in Tashoi’s eyes when she cried..

“She will die soon.”

Satori nods and sips her tea, “Of course, she’s human. But if we are vigilant, keep her bundled up during the winter, and away from sick humans she could last at least 70 years with proper care.”

Daichi runs a clawed hand through his hair and breathes deep.

“Grandmother please, she isn’t a pet or a car. She’s my mom. Isn’t there something we can do?”

______________________________________

She sat in the garden of her new home and tried her hardest not to scream, not to lash out and destroy everything in her path. There was a rage brewing inside that frightened her. The emptiness that was created with the resurrection of Kikyou was back, yet it was in a different place, and the wound was bigger. It had been 3 years, since she last saw him. There was a poison spreading, and for the life of her Kagome couldn’t purify it. It didn’t matter how much she meditated or prayed, she wasn’t strong enough to heal herself. The poison wasn’t killing her, simply causing pain.

Kagome opens her eyes, giving up on trying to heal the wound Sesshomaru’s youki had created.

“Satori.” She gently calls out while playing with a blade of grass. She knew her alpha was there.. watching.

“My grandchild is not pleased.”  
“I know.”  
“You will die soon.” Satori looks down her nose at her new found daughter. Despite her humanity, the girl had weaseled into her heart.

From what Satori could tell, the girl would make anyone a good Mate, especially her son.. maybe the dog demons of earth were cursed? There was no other way to explain it.

Kagome laughs, “I’ve just started to age, I’ll be here for a while longer.”

“A while longer will not do. Daichi wants you to live and I will make it so. He doesn’t deserve to watch his mother die because she got caught in the rain, hit by a car, or aged and withered faster than a banana.” Satori scowls, Daichi still needed his mother and for some reason Satori herself had grown fond of the girl. She wanted her new daughter to live as long as a demon would.

Kagome looks up at the clear skies above them, living amongst the clouds was so peaceful.. it was like she was already in heaven. “Maybe it’s time for me to leave this world behind and join my family in the afterlife?”

Satori states coldly, “They are dead and gone.” She isn’t the least bit fazed by Kagome’s sad demeanor. Kagome wouldn’t be joining anyone for anything but dinner.

“Daichi and I are your family, your pack. I am your mother.” Satori continues to look down on Kagome, her head tilting up a bit more while her eyes bore down on the human before her. Instead of being offended Kagome smiles and reaches for Satori’s alabaster hand, she squeezes it with a nod.

“I love you too Satori.” The clawed hand squeezes back gently while the other pats her head.

———————

Some how Satori found herself sitting next to Kagome in the grass as the sun warmed their skin. Kagome laughed and Satori found herself smiling a just a bit. There was a serene quite between them until Kagome asked her the inventible.

“How did you get over Taisho?”

Satori frowned and flared her aura outward in searching for any listening ears near by. She would give her daughter the truth, have her learn from her mistakes. When she was certain they were alone she spoke.

“I didn’t. I never will. Demons, especially Inu’s... we don’t move on as quickly as humans tend to. I knew Taisho for years... we were mated for 700. That is something one can not just get over.” Kagome listens intently as she whispers. The vulnerability seeping form this strong woman’s pores, the sadness that clouds her eyes over yet never makes it to her face.

“Did you hate him, when... when he left you? Is that why you never came to visit Sesshomaru?”

Satori frowns, “Hate Taisho? I never hated him.” She wasn’t sure if she could. She had never tried to, all Satori had ever done was hide her hurt behind anger and indifference. It had never occurred to her that hating him was even an option until now.

“I’ve never asked Sesshomaru... but how did Taisho end it? ”

Satori cleared her throat, “He returned from a trip a bit early, and happened upon me brushing my hair. He told me to let him go, I refused at first.” It replays in her mind... the feel of his hand gripping her neck with such deadly intent.. claws digging in.... wounding.. gasping in shock.

“After a moment, he removed the mark, I returned home and my honorable father took me back. Taisho had come to visit one day, asking for my mark to be removed. He was not pleased with how our conversation went. It made coming to earth an impossibility. It could not be done.” It could have, if she had the gumption to fight him.. to kill him to spare her own life. All these years and Satori still protected the image people had of her mate. Sesshomaru still didn’t know the truth, and it’ll stay that way.

“Did you love him?”  
“Do not ask such silly questions Kagome.”

Kagome responds “Alright.” With small smile on her face.

—————————

They’re in the infirmary, humans and demons mulling around all suffering from a wide rage lf things. From a common cold to cancer to different kinds of injuries. The the staff all whisper amongst themselves, some use their cell phones to snap pictures of the two members of the royal family thats chosen to visit them today.

Satori dressed in a pale blue kimono with a white obi, her hair flowing about her in elegant waves. While Daichi dons black jeans and a pale blue button up with his hair having grown down to his waist making him look even more like his father.

They reach a room and Satori ushers her grandson in. “This man was in a car accident not too long ago. When I was on earth last week for a conference, a member of his family passed me a letter detailing their situation. The human medical professionals did all they could, so they reached out to Youkai and was soon directed to seek help from our hospital”

The man was hooked up to so many machines, tubes were everywhere. Daichi stands next to the seemingly sleeping man, he rests his hands on the railing of hospital bed shaking his head in pity.

Satori stays near the door, “There are too many blood clots in his system, they can’t be safely removed and an infection has set in.”

She adjusts her bangs a bit and. It was a terrible thing to play with another’s life but she had to teach this lesson. Daichi had to learn at some point or another.

Clearing her throat, she points at several spots around the wounded man, “There a pallbearers from the netherworld.. three of them, closing in and ready to drag his soul to the afterlife. He is on the brink of dying, kill the underworld’s creatures and heal the mans wounds. Now.”

Daichi strains his eyes to see what she saw so easily, but all he saw was the white of the hospitals blankets and bandages.

Daichi is sweating with concentration, he had only seen the small strange looking creatures once since he started his training 3 years ago.

His grandmother never let on that she was disappointed, there was never any mean words or beatings as he had expected from someone as harsh as she could be. His father would shake his head in disappointment while Kagome would tell him it was okay yet he knew it really wasn’t. When he failed his grandmother would simply say “Maybe tomorrow.” And that would be the end of it.

“They are in between... do not look for them so hard. Gaze at this man, and simply see. Breathe as I have taught you, will your youki into your eyes.”

Daichi still saw nothing. He could smell the infection festering inside the mans wounds, it was almost putrid.

“I don’t see anything.”

“You must see them Daichi, if you don’t, this human will die and I will not revive him.” She felt bad for doing this, but she had to push him. All of the members of their family had the ability, from herself to her sisters and their children. So long as the crescent moon was on their brow, they could look into the netherworld, retrieve a soul and heal. She would bring the sick human back, but she had to make sure Daichi believed she wouldn’t.

Daichi felt his spiritual powers hum to him, healing the man would be easy with them. But he needed to rely on his youki, he needed to learn how to do this.

He spread his aura over the man and soon enough he saw the outline of a small creature with large eyes.. it startled him at first.

“I see.. something..”

Satori smiles proudly, “Kill it.”

A red whip forms bewteen Daichi’s finger tips and he does as told. The other two appear before him and they’re heads are removed as well.

The human gasps a bit and his wounds begin to slowly heal themselves.

“I am proud.” Satori places a hand on Daichi’s shoulder, this is the moment shes waited for all her life. She finally passed on the knowledge.

“Thank you!” Daichi turns and hugs his grandmother fiercely, laughing with glee. He pulls away from her and turns back to the now healing man shifting back a bandage inspecting the wounds that were nearly faded.

“I can only bring them back once, right?”

Satori snorts, “As many times as you so choose. This heavenly ability, is why we rule this kingdom in the clouds. Our crescent moons mark more than our royal bloodline, it means we have the ability.”

Daichi continues to watch in wonder as the human before them continues to heal.

“You have surpassed your father.”

——————————

Kagome enters the throne room, and takes her place behind Daichi on his right side. Like all the royals she kept her face expressionless.

She had to play a role, someone ruthless and cut throat. Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt a human or demon. It was a hard role to play but she had been convincing enough to fool people all this time.

Everyone present for court was either dressed in modern clothing or traditional. She chose to wear modern clothing this day, a simple navy pants suite and her hair in a ponytail. Her in laws were present as well, sitting or standing around the throne room. Aunts, uncles, cousins, their family was a large one, but only a few have the mark of the moon on their foreheads. Kagome surveyed the room and saw they had guests, some people from the kingdom were present, as well as people who were clearly messengers or assistants. Many of whom were chatting on their cellphone or texting. A few of the humans took photos of the historic opulence before them.

Kagome didn’t recognize any of them except Ginta, one of Kouga’s oldest friends.. how curious...

Satori clears her throat and a hush falls over the room, calls are abruptly ended, cell phones put on silent and thrown in bags or shoved in pockets.

“I have called you all here, humans and youkai, to introduce my new daughter to the world. Mother of my heir, The Shikon Miko, Higurashi Kagome.”

Its then Kagome realizes this is a press conference, not a meeting like she had be led to believe. Not a quick talk among the family and a few people from the kingdom..

Satori motions for Kagome to step forward, “Today questi-”

All at once hands shoot up, microphones, cameras flash and voice recorders appear. Suddenly questions are being shouted along with ‘over here! Over here!’. Kagome takes her eyes off the small crowd and glances at the aunts, uncles, and cousins.. none of them looked fazed, but she knew with this group, this particular pack, looks weren't everything. They all avoided her and Daichi at all costs, they were not welcome. She more so than Daichi.

“Lady Kagome! what happened between you and Lord Sesshomaru?”

“Have you meet Lord Sesshomaru’s new wife?”

His new wife? He’d married her...

“Do you still have the jewel of four souls after all these years? If so where is it?”

“Are you dating?!”

“Have you forsaken humanity?”

Satori raises her hand and again all is quiet, the crowd, the press, practically salivating

“Today questions are NOT welcome. Thank you all for coming.”

Ushers come and guide the people out the throne room, but Ginta stays in his behind a moment. Kagome and his share a smile, it had been years since they last saw each other. He nods to her and takes his leave.

Once the room is cleared a loud voice screeches “I can’t BELIVE this! Its one thing to take in a stray but to make a human pack!?”

“Things change.” Kagome responds light heartedly.

“My God do you hear how she addresses her betters! Satori, I swear! Father made a mistake naming you h-“

Satori’s oldest sister’s tirade is cut short when Kagome shoots her in the shoulder with a small amount of reki the size of a dime. She cries out and falls to the ground grasping the wound, the rest of the family gather around her in shock. Kagome sighs, and feeds the small piece of energy more power. It grows to be the size of a small marble and Kagome makes it roll under her pack mate’s skin, up and down the arm. The smell of burnt flesh fills the room.

“You forget your place. Do not speak to our Alpha in such away again.”

Satori looks on proudly as her sister writhes in pain while her nephew begs for Kagome to let his mother be.

“You are family, so I will not hold a grudge against you. Be aware, I have killed for less.” Kagome’s voice is cold and steady. Convincing.

Kagome finally allows her reki to subside, but she doesn’t take her eyes off the demoness on the floor. Daichi smirks, its not everyday his mom got to be vicious and the wildest part of him was proud.

It didn’t take her very long to learn that kindess amongst youkai, for the most part, was not respected. Even in modern times that belief still held true, and it seemed that love meant very little as well.

Satori places a hand on Kagome’s shoulder and glides down the length of her arm, scent marking her as well as showing favor “Come, daughter.” Obediently she follow’s Satori out and in to the main hall, hand in hand.

“Control that human, Daichi! She is reckless! You’re supposed to be our future king, don’t let your grandmother’s behavior rub off on you.” His cousins, aunts and uncles nod in agreement.

Daichi looks at them, his family. His cousin was right, he’s going to be their king. It was pitiful that he didn’t care to learn their names after 3 years of living with them. He saw these people everyday and he could only call them “aunt”, “uncle” or “cousin”, they were a spoiled rotten bunch. Entitled, and haughty. They would be the first to go once when he ascended the throne.

“Mother is quite entertaining.” Daichi smiles kindly at them while they disperse and head to their parts of the castle.

——————————

Once inside the confines of Satori’s library, Kagome lets her outrage surface.

“HE MARRIED HER!” Kagome screams at the top of her lungs, betrayal shakes her bones as she paces in front of the fire place.

Satori watches, she had never seen the small woman so angry.. Kagome was practically seething. If her adopted daughter were a youkai, her eyes would be red.

“How could he do this!? What is so wrong with me!? What have I done thats so terrible!?”

Kagome yells in frustration, the sound is guttural, animalistic.

An old wound reopens, “Its like I’m destined to be second best for the rest of my life! Why am I never enough for the ones I love?! Why am I always thrown aside?! Hell, I guess I should be thankful that at least this one is alive and doesn’t have half of my soul!”

Satori watches as Kagome rages about the room, her insecurities on full display. “I gave him everything! My heart! My love! Our son is perfect! Can I have a modicum of loyalty?!”

“Quite Kagome.” Satori says sternly. Kagome is panting her features distorted into a frown.

“Hurting yourself is not going to change the fact that he’s left you. He can’t mate her so he married her. Leave it be. Its hard but, leave it alone.”

Kagome takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself. For some reason she thought he’d change his mind.. that he’d miss her. She can’t help but ask, “You and Daichi still speak with him.. did you know?”

“Yes. I told Daichi not to say anything because I knew it would hurt you and I am embarrassed by his choices.”

Kagome joins Satori at the table and covers her face with her hands.

“He won’t come back to you. He’s not worried about you removing your mark because in a few years you will die, and then he will mate his wife.”

Kagome bites her bottom lip, her mind is racing. He was waiting for her to die.

“I’ve wasted 500 years of my life.”

He wouldn’t mourn her like she had hoped. Sesshomaru will sigh, whisper ‘finally’ and replace her before her body had a chance to cool.

“I have arranged for you to take on a new mate. They are willing to mark you and you won’t have to reciprocate if you decide not to.”

Kagome glares at her new alpha, “No.”

Satori reaches over the table and affectionately pats Kagome on the cheek, “Sweetheart, that wasn’t a request. Besides, this will be good for you! Your life will be extended. Trust me.”

With that Satori pours herself a glass of water, “I love this anger, its good. Hold on to that.”

Kagome huffs, this isn’t how she thought her life would go. She loves and trusts Satori but she was pushing it. She couldn’t out right go against the decision without hurting Satori’s feelings and possibly face punishment for disobedience.

Satori was a fair ruler and a kind Alpha, but disobedience in the pack came with consequences.

“Shouldn’t you be telling me to let it go? Not to hold on to such negative emotions?”

“Heavens no! Anger, when harnessed appropriately, sharpens the mind. You deserve to be angry, and to express it.”

“So.... tell me about you’re shipping me off to. What is they getting out of this?”

“His name is Kenji. He was friends with my father.”

“An old geezer.”

“He is handsome and powerful. His mate passed away many years ago, and he wishes to feel that sense of comfort that comes with a mating bond.. the link to another being.”

Kagome takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself further. “I’ve never heard you compliment someone so much.”

Satori looks down at her reflection in her cup and wonders what life would’ve been like if she hadn’t met Taisho, “I was quite smitten with him when I was a child.”

“Gross!”

“I was about 50 years old, so in human years thats about 12y years old. As I said Kenji was my father’s friend. I’m sure he couldn’t tell me and my sisters apart and had no idea who I was as an individual.” She laughs thinking about how she so badly had wanted to grow up and be beautiful enough to have him notice her.

“When I was 56, a pack of earthly dog demons visited my father, their son trailing behind them. I was tasked with showing the son around the palace and I never gazed at Kenji again with affection.”

Kagome smiles “Taisho?”

“Yes. I think I loved him even then, I just didn’t know what it was.. I had never loved anyone before and no one had ever loved me. But enough about that, Kenji is kind. You will bare his mark and when you see fit, perhaps you will mark him as well and the mating will be a source of happiness for you.”

Kagome never planned on some other man being a source of happiness for her so the idea of wearing a mating mark that didn’t belong to Sesshomaru broke her heart.

“Maybe you will have more pups, give Daichi a sibling or two.”

A child that didn’t look like Sesshomaru? That was never part of the plan. Well, only one child wasn’t part of the plan either but Sesshomaru wasn’t ready for another one...

“Perhaps the two of you will be a fine pair.”  
“But not a match.”

Satori offers no pity towards Kagome, she refuses to let her daughter sit by the wayside while Sesshomaru lived his life.

“If you disobey, I will beat you within an inch of you life. This is a generous position to be in. You will extend your life by hundreds of years, stay young, and if you wish it have a new family. You don’t have to lay with him if you choose not to, but you WILL allow him to mark you.”

Kagome squeezes her fists and bites her lip to keep from saying something she’d regret. Satori was doing what she thought was best but forcing her into a union was not something Kagome thought she’d ever had to deal with.

“Sesshomaru has casts you out and abandoned you, Kagome. Can you even feel him? Can he feel you?”

Kagome’s jaw clenches in anger at how right Satori was. She couldn’t feel him and she coudn’t send him her emotions through her mark because he was blocking her. He had encased the reki that made up her mating mark in a ball of his youki and nothing could get in or out. She was pitiful. It had been three years and she had yet to move on meanwhile he had a whole wife!

————————————

Kenji had short black hair and shaggy bangs. Tan skin the color of honey and the darkest eyes she had ever seen. His jaw line, defined, his smile kind and his aura was calming. He didn’t look that much older than Satori. While Satori appeared to be 30 years old, Kenji looked to be about 40. He had one black jagged stripe across both his cheeks that added even more character to his already handsome face..

Yes, Kenji was very handsome and Kagome was  
nervous.

Satori had invited him for dinner after their discussion. It had been a week and now Kagome is sitting across from the person her alpha had basically given her away to.

Daichi glared but couldn’t help but be thankful that the dark haired Inu would be kind enough to take his mother in. To mark her and extend her life. He was thankful, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Kagome couldn’t decide how to behave or what to do so she treated the dinner as a meeting and remained expressionless and cold. She barely acknowledged him, unsure of what was going to be expected of her.

Dinner was quiet, until all the dishes were cleared and Kenji turned to speak to Kagome, “How do you fair little one?” His voice was deep, smooth and kind.

Kagome looks at him then to Satori, unsure of how to answer or if she even should. After receiving a nod of encouragement she responds, “I am Adequate.” She says coldly.

“Kagome.” Satori admonishes and opens her fan with a scowl, “Kenji can be trusted. Relax.”

Daichi stifles a growl and His grandmother kicks his leg under the table.

“I know this will be a big change but know that I don’t want to uproot your life. I have no plans of whisking you away from your pack... I just wish to be apart of it.”

Kagome bits her lip nervously, Kenji was lonely. She experienced 3 years without the grounding feeling of a mating mark and she was one wrong comment away from snapping.. she couldn’t imagine how long it had been for him..

If Daichi would have known this was his grandmothers plan to save his mom, he wouldn’t have agreed to it. He gave his mom away, but at what cost?

Kenji seemed kind enough, Satori was hardly ever wrong, which only serves to stroke her ego and encourage her arrogance. But still.. having his mother bare the mark of a demon that she didnt care for and didnt care for her didn’t sit right with him.

“I don’t think this should continue.” He said softly, looking at Satori who glared at him.

“This.. it isn’t right. I think we should find another way.”

Even though she knew it didn’t hurt, Satori kicks Daichi’s knee under the table and digs the heel of her foot into the top of his.

“You don’t get to challenge my decisions, pup. Do not speak again.” She says through clenched teeth. Kagome was hers and she refused to let her go. She would have her heir and her daughter, and nothing would stand in her way. Not even the heir himself.

“Daichi..” Kagome sighs.

“Mom, you don’t have to do this.”

Satori allows a bit of her aura free to push down on Daichi shoulders. “You are embarrassing me.”

Daichi winces when the weight of his grandmothers power clamps down on to him and pushes. He didn’t bother trying to stop it, he wasn’t strong enough yet to do such a thing. So he did as he was told and stopped talking

Kenji, unsure of what to say watched on and waited. The silver Inus were always good entertainment.

“I don’t want to cause trouble. As I said before, I simply wish to have a bond with another.. to share a bit of myself and have that feeling of belonging again.. Besides, don’t you wish to live to see your son take a mate of his own?”

Kagome nods, refusing to look into her sons angry eyes. Kenji seemed decent enough, and Satori went out of her way to make this happen..

“Alright.. I.. as long as I can stay with my Alpha and my son.. I will mate you.”

Satori claps her hands together “Delightful! So its settled! Kenji, inform your alpha of the things we have discussed tonight and make the proper arrangements to move in to the palace. My daughter, you have done well.”

Daichi stands from the dinner table and leaves. Barely looking at anyone, his destination clearly laid out in his minds eye as the crescent moon on his forehead glows. Earth.

———————————

“Hello, my son.” Mika drawls as Daichi shoves past her and into what used to his parents.. his mothers home.

He completely ignores the red headed dog demon and heads straight to his father’s study.

Mika was a pain.

Mika was pretty, came from a decent pack, but she was sneaky, egotistical, loved power and money. She was the complete opposite of his mother. She started calling him her son to mock him.

What his father saw in her, he’d never know.

Daichi tried to give her chance, he figured it wasn’t her fault his father was an ass. But it turns out it, it was a collaborative effort.

Having finally reached his father’s study Daichi enters without knocking and places a sound proof shield around them before getting to the point of his visit.

“Mother is going to remove her mating mark.”

Sesshomaru looks up from his paper work and nods his head. “Good.”

“She’s being mated off to another Inu.”

Daichi watches his father’s reaction, or lack there of. “Great.”

Daichi crosses the room and slams his hands on to the desk, “Thats all you have to say!? Shes going to end things completely with you! Don’t you want to fight for her!?”

Sesshomaru sighs, “You look like me, but you are your mother’s child. Control yourself.”

Daichi glares at his father, the urge to purify him as much as he possibly could pressed at the back of his mind... He wouldn’t be able to kill him, but he’d be taken out of commission for at least a a day or two.

“Are you still shielding yourself from mother’s mark?”

Why did his pup pry so much? He had no issues with poking and prodding and sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. Sesshomaru couldn’t be too angry, the boy was more Inu than human, and inus are naturally curious.

“Yes. I don’t want and have no need to feel her.”

Daichi looks down at his father in disgust. “You’re really gonna let her go? If you can throw her away so easily, what’s stopping you from getting rid of me?”

“You are my son.” Sesshomaru is exhausted, every time they are alone Daichi does this. But he reminds himself not to be too annoyed, the boy was young.

“And she is your mate! You traded her in for some mid level demoness that can’t even take her in a challenge!”

“Enough.”

Daichi growls, “She is weak. YOU are weak.”

Sesshomaru’s arm darts forward but before he could grab his son’s neck he sees a dime sized piece of reiki dart out of Daichi’s body and pierce his palm, startling him and causing him to look at the appendage in shock.

Daichi tries to hold his concentration, he’d never done this before, only witnessed his mother do it a handful of times whenever someone stepped out of line.

Watching as the dime changed into a marble under his skin Sesshomaru frowns when the smell of reiki invades his nostrils. When did his son learn this?

Then he realizes something else, the reiki didn’t burn him like it usually did. Daichi’s spiritual powers were strong and such a concentrated amount under his skin should be causing him some kind of pain... and yet all he felt was a tingle.

He snarls in frustration and shouts in disbelief “Even now she protects you!”

Daichi takes a deep breath, his mother wouldn’t want this. She’d never want him to use his abilities for spite. Recalling his power, he heads toward the door. His father watching him curiously.

“Daichi.” Sesshomaru calls out before his son opens the door.

Daichi stops and turns to face him. Sesshomaru asses his son and can’t help but see himself when his parents relationship ended.

Sad, weary, and hurt. It didn’t help that he had kicked Kagome out of his pack, out of his and Daichi’s pack.

Yes, Daichi was Satori’s heir, but he wasn’t actually apart of her pack and couldn’t live amongst the people in the kingdom until the day his grandmother died or stepped down and he came to power. He had limited access to his mother because of this status. While Kagome had no status at all, barely had a claim to her son on earth and could easily be banned from seeing him if Sesshomaru felt to do so.

His son was in a precarious position.

“Your mother will not live much longer. Spend time with her instead of meddling.”

“Of course.” Daichi replies through tight lips and grinding teeth as he leaves.  
——————————

“Honestly Sesshomaru, when are you going to make that pup of yours to respect me!”

Mika yells from her seat on their bed. Daichi had come and gone and didn’t even bother to speak to her. It was insulting.

“He bumped my shoulder too!”

Sesshomaru continues going about his nightly routine as his new wife complains. Mika could be a bit of a brat, but he could overlook that flaw.

“Daichi will never respect you.” His voice is monotone as it always was with her. When they first met and soon after starting their affair, Mika was completely different than she is today. She was more caring and demure.. she’s changed, but so far not to the point that he drove him mad.

“And WHY is that!?” Mika flicks her red hair over her shoulder as she stands so Sesshomaru could pull back the covers on the bed.

“Because you are frigh-“  
“I AM NOT FRIGHTENED!”

Sesshomaru sighs and begins again, “You are frightened of his mother and refuse to challenge her or respond to the challenge issued to you.”

They climb in and Mika snuggles close to Sesshomaru. She finally managed to sink her claws into him and she wasn’t going to lose.

“She is miko. She has an advantage.” She mumbles into his shoulder as strong arms warp around her

“Hn.”

Soon Mika falls asleep and Sesshomaru mulls over his son’s actions.. his words.. Kagome’s reiki still protected him from purification. Quite a interesting development.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and for the first time in 3 years, allowed the barrier blocking Kagome’s mating mark to fall. He tried not to gasp when the small tendrils that made up her mark caressed his aura, prodded at his youki to ensure it was at full strength then settled back into place at the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

He didn’t feel pain.. all he felt was love, loneliness, and abandonment.. there was no hate. When he researched about having a one sided mating mark, many claimed that it was unbearable. That they felt the pain and heartache of their ex-significant other constantly. He couldn’t help but wonder how his father managed to deal with it?

Sesshomaru sighed when the familiar power continued to rest.. he used his own to investigate it and its original owner. Kagome had been angry recently... he dug a bit deeper and discovered something that put him in a bit of a dilemma.

When mating Kagome, he allowed a bit of his poison to seep into his youki. To make her immune to his toxins for the rest of her life. But with his youki gone, the poison had turned into something else and it was still in her body.

He places his nose in Mika’s hair and almost sneezed from the smell of her shampoo.

———————————

Kagome was at a lost as she stared at her hand. The tips of her fingers seemed to have a light green glow.. she placed her pointer finger in her mouth and quickly withdrew it with a yelp.

Poison.

Not a lot.. but just enough for her to notice.

She clears her mind, finishes getting ready for the day and quickly leaves her room.

She rushes down the hallways, her aura wrapped tight and under lock and key as well as her scent. No one could know how panicked she felt.  
————————

“Satori!” Her daughter whispers in despair while barging into her private rooms.

Her tea cup slips from her hands, and breaks once hitting the marble floor. Her favorite tea spilled. With a frustrated growl she turns to look at Kagome. What on earth is wrong with this child!

“Your manners have been so impeccable as of late, that I almost forgot that you were human.. then you go and do this.” Her dear uncle had given her that cup when he returned from England so many years ago... it meant something to her, now it was worthless.

“Help me..” Kagome rushes and grabs her hands

Its then that Satori truly looks at her. Hair in disarray, her face... she was shaking!

“I can’t smell you.. whats wrong daughter?” Satori puts her hand on Kagome’s shoulders and guides her to the chair across from her. Upon Kagome reveling her scent and aura, Satori takes a deep breath.. ah! Maybe wishes do come true?

“You have poison?”  
“Why!? Will it kill me!?”

Satori smooths down Kagome’s hair and pats her cheek with a smile, “Honey, You have our pack’s poison. How did you get that?” She says in wonder, truly proud that the powers that be continue to shine upon her family. Her sister’s also have the ability to make poison but the sent of Kagome’s smelled like hers. The other person who had it was Sesshomaru.. and now her Kagome, Wow.

Kagome held up one of her hands and Satori takes it carefully into her own while turning it this way and that, “I shall teach you to use it after breakfast.”

“Where did it come from?!” Satori shrugs and wipes the tears from Kagome’s face. Too caught up in the want for her adopted daughter to truly belong to her, to be her pup. Satori found herself wondering what Kagome would look like with a crescent moon on her forehead or sliver hair.

Looking back at Kagome’s hands and the bit of poison just beneath her nail bed, Satori breaks free from her musings.. “Where indeed.. Do you believe that Sesshomaru is trying to re-establish his mark?”

Kagome puts her hands over her mouth to keep from shouting, taking a deep breath. She tells Satori her secret , “No... I am.. I was, troubled by pain for a while.. there was a poison inside that I couldn’t purify. It seems its... come out?”

Satori narrows her eyes, and shoves away from Kagome, “And you didn’t think to disclose that information? How could you?”

Maybe she made a mistake being so open to Kagome.. betrayal always starts with a secret.

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I thought it would go away, it wasn’t causing me much trouble....”

Satori flicks Kagome’s nose, “ouch!”

“Such insolence! What would you have done if you woke up this morning and the poison ate away at your hands?! My pup would be gone and I’d have no idea why! What if the poison destroyed your soul, you could be walking next to me in the gardens one moment then drop dead the next and I’d have to explain to Daichi that his mother died suddenly while gazing at a rose bush!”

Satori didn’t realize she was shouting until the sound of her own voice rang in her ear. Taking a calming breath she steps away from Kagome and returns to her seat.

“The poison would have killed you by now if it was lethal. Sesshomaru must have forced a heavy dose of it when he marked you to insure you were immune. It didn’t return to him because it wasn’t forced out. How it isn’t destroying you, I can’t say. However, I can not say that I am not pleased.”

Kagome bites her lip as she watches Satori adjusts the sleeves and layers of her kimono. Unsure if she should speak.. at one point she thought Satori was going to hit her.

“Taisho and I were both poison wielders, however, Sesshomaru inherited his poison from me. Now in a way, so have you. Kagome, you are mine. Mine to me. I regard you the same way I do my son and grandson. If I find out that you are keeping something else from me, I will cut off your ear.”

Wiping her tear stained face Kagome smiles “I love you too.”

“Return to your room.”

————————————————-

When he asked to take her on a date, Kagome had no idea what such a ancient and powerful being like Kenji would have in mind.

He met her at the palace doors dressed casually in jeans and a black shirt, his hair gathered in a sleek ponytail.. a light smile on his face. He complimented Kagome on her navy blue dress an her eyes.

He gave Kagome flowers.. a bouquet made of peony of all colors..

She couldn’t recall the last time such a thing occurred and the gesture alone made her heart ache. Someone took time out of their day to buy her flowers... it amazed her. And then she wondered just how low the bar was set that a few bucks on flowers that’ll die in three days had her choked up.

She was worried about going back to earth after virtually being in hiding for three years with her ex-mother in law turned Alpha. But Kenji calmed her nerves by simply talking to her. They talked when they went through the portal to earth, they talked while they had lunch, they talked while walking in the park, silence only fell between them once they took their seats in the movie theater.

Kenji was charming. He was kind, he was funny, and he was fun to be around. Despite their mating being set in stone at this point, he was truly making an effort. He was courting her.

When they return back to the palace, Kagome was almost sad... she was having such a good time.

“Kagome, I don’t wish to be too forward but, I’d like to see how our auras, reiki and youki, react with each other.”

Kagome nods in agreement and leads him into the family wing and into the tea room next to her room.

They sit across from each other and after taking a calming breath, Kagome allows a wisp of pink to flow from her as Kenji does the same. His youki was black, just like his hair.

Her reiki hesitated in touching the black youki that reached for it. Unsure if it should purify the unknown power or hide from it.

Her power reflected how she felt inside.. insecure. While his was steadfast and patient.

“I’ve never been this close to reiki that didn’t want to kill me.” Kenji laughs and Kagome finds it hard not to do the same

“Are you sure about that?” Kagome questions her voice light and flirty. She releases more of her power and Kenji does the same with a smirk.

Kagome, curious to know if he could stand the weight of her power.

Kagome releases the bulk of her aura while Kenji does the same, pink and black colliding, mixing exploring. His youki is strong, dense, and calm while hers is strong as well it was flighty, nervous.

“You’re strong.” She compliments him, but in her mind she cant help to tack on ‘But not as strong as me or HIM.’ She doesn’t think anyone could be as strong as him...

Kenji gives her a easy smile, “So are you, your reiki feels unending.”

Kagome smiles back but she knows he isn’t her equal. Kenji was strong, but she was stronger still. To go from a mate that was her match to someone who.. wasnt.. maybe she was stuck in the old world way of thinking?

Theres nothing wrong with a woman making more money than her man.. her being more powerful than him spiritually shouldn’t mean anything either..

Besides she wasn’t looking to return the mating mark. Just be on the receiving end and extend her life like Satori wanted. Thats it.

“I think I’m a bit tired..” Kagome Says while pulling back her reiki

“Of course, I didn’t mean to keep you captive for the entire day.”

They leave the tea room and Kagome goes to the door a few feet down the hall, while Kenji walks the opposite direction away from the family wing and towards the guest room on the other side of the palace.

Echoes of “Good Night.” Travel between them.

It was a good date, she had fun! He was different from Sesshomaru and that was a good thing. Kenji was.. a good guy.

Before Kagome opens the door to her room she feels Kenji’s youki lightly caress her lips then retreat just as quickly as it had appeared.

————————————————-

Daichi wasn’t convinced that Kenji was just a demon that wanted companionship. He may have been friends with this great grandfather, but that was centuries ago. And great grandfather was dead.

His uncle Inuyasha told him, to know his enemy and never underestimate them. Keep them guessing. His father told him to always have the upper hand, no matter the cost. His mother told him to be strategic, pick his battles wisely and to never bluff. His grandmother told him to be unmerciful, cruel and swift.

He knew Kenji read in the palace library before dinner every night, and tonight he decided to stop in and feel Kenji out.

Daichi entered and put the advice he’d receive over the years to work, no beating around the bush with meaningless greetings and pleasantries, he asked plainly “What use do you have for a human? She is weak.” He made sure to sound curious, yet firm. He stepped in close, but kept his aura calm and small.

Daichi stands before Kenji and looks down on the elder in destain. He wanted to appear unthreatening, like a bratty child that all in the palace thought he was.

He may not officially belong to his grandmother’s house, but he was still Kenji’s better. And he was prepared to remind him of that fact. Daichi didn’t care for how comfortable he looked sitting in that chair, how at ease Kenji seemed to be in HIS future palace. His aunts, uncles and cousins liked Kenji and that simply wouldn’t do. Not at all. Daichi is young, not stupid, he knows it doesn’t take much to start coup. To use someone as leverage.. a relative, maybe their mother.

Kenji looks up from his book frowning, “Your mother is far from weak. Lady Satori would never claim someone weak as her own.”

Daichi tilts his head to the side, and raises an eyebrow “Perhaps someone close to her requested it. Maybe they made an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

“There is not an offer in this world or the next that can not be dismissed by Lady Satori. No one holds sway over her. Even as a pup, Lady Satori would rather cut off her nose to spite her face.”

“Her heir would find your opinion to be quite humorous.” Daichi eyes Kenji, looking for a moment of weakness, of doubt.

“A Queen who has hated humans for almost a thousand years, brings home her VERY human ex-daughter-in-law and claims her as pack. The same daughter-in law shes hated for 500 years. Interesting.” Daichi snatches the book Kenji was reading from his hands and smirks when the dark haired full youkai bites back a growl. “That daughter-in-law is nothing to her now, yet she claimed her and is foisting her on to any demon desperate enough to take her.” Daichi slowly flips through the pages of the book pretending to skim the words as he goes. “A demon so desperate, lonely, and just as weak if not weaker than the human...”

Kenji clears his throat, absolutely uncomfortable with the fact that a pup centuries younger than him would be so bold as to insult not only his intended, but himself as well. Confident enough to violate his personal space. “That’s a cute story pup, your future step-father enjoyed it.”

Kenji smirks, thinking he shut Daichi up. The boy obviously didn’t think much of him, and if he wanted to have this conversation, Kenji was more than happy to oblige.

Daichi’s voice is calm “I am young, however we are not equals. You are to refer to me as Lord Daichi, not pup.” , his face welcoming. He closes the book back gently and holds it out to Kenji with a smile. As soon as the elder touches the book, Daichi lights it with reiki.

“Ah!” Kenji growls yet refuses to let go, his hand begins to smoke. The smell of his own burnt flesh assaulting his nose.

“Concentrate fatherrrrr” Daichi drawls while he continues to smile, looking into Kenji’s dark eyes, while his are bright grey with joy. The red of his reiki eases up Kenji’s hand and up his arm, the bulk of it wrapping around the area just above his elbow. Kenji clenches his jaw against the pain and fights not to cry out.

“You wish to be my father? Well, lets see how long it takes for your arm to grow back, hn? Its only fitting that a half demon takes it.” When the deed was about to be done, he catches Satori’s scent, and just as the door opened Daichi extinguishes the purity in the book, in the air and uses what’s latched on to Kenji’s arm to heal his wounds.

Daichi raises his free hand to rub the back of his neck nervously.

“Thanks for letting me borrow your book Kenji.” He pushes the book further into his elders hand, and winks at Kenji’s shocked face as he turns to leave.

“Grandmother!” He greets her with an almost childlike air about him as he kisses her on the cheek.

Satori eyes him carefully, then glances at Kenji, whose left arm of his shirt sleeve seems to my burnt...

“What are you up to?” She questions while eyeing Daichi with suspicion.

“We were just playing.”

Daichi kisses her cheek again and leaves the library.

———————————

Yua looks down her nose at Kagome. As one of Satori’s older sisters she couldn’t believe she had been given the task to train the packs adopted human pet. She had almost denied Satori’s request, then she remembered, her sister is queen.

So here she is, in a pair of jeans she hates and a shirt that has seen better days. Her long hair and bangs smoothed back and pinned into a bun on top of her head waiting for Kagome to do something remarkable.

“I’m sorry Aunt Yua, I’m not sure why I can’t summon it.” A few feet away, Kagome concentrates on her left hand, using the right to gently squeeze at the tips hoping to will the green poison to the forefront.

Yua clenches her jaw, the human insisted on addressing her, her sisters and their mates as Aunt, and uncle. Their children, cousin. It was insulting.

Yua wonders how much trouble she would get in if she trained the human the way things were done in the old days.

She balls her hand into a fist, “Come to me.” She snaps.

Kagome rolls her eyes and does as shes told, when she gets closer she holds out her hand for inspection.

Yua takes a firm grip of Kagome’s wrist, “Show me the poison.” She commands.

“I can’t”

“You can. You’re just not motivated. Do it now or I will remove the nail on your pinky finger.”

Kagome’s eyes widened in shock just as shes about to pull forth her reiki, Yua takes hold of her pinky finger. “You may use your power to get me off of you, but I will take the entire finger as punishment instead of just the nail.”

“Let go.” Kagome narrows her eyes, this is what she gets for being so trusting. Satori tired to tell her and Daichi had been telling her not to let her guard down with these people.

Yua sighs, “Its only a nail. The pain would bring you tears but it would grow back with in a moment or so.”

Kagome’s eyes widen in shock, “Thats not how humans work! I can’t just grow it back in a few minutes Aunt Yua!”

The demoness shrugs, “I care not about your biology.” With that said she begins to slowly pull on the small finger in her grasp

Kagome begins to panic then, theres a slight pain and Yua stops, “Concentrate. Or else.”

Kagome nods and takes a deep breath, pleading with the poison hidden beneath her nails to come forth!

The pain intensifies and she screams as her pinkly is pulled from the socket.

“I will take pity on you. Next will be the nail. Hurry..”

Then it happens, green begins to seep from Kagome’s fingers, theres a loud hiss as it makes contact with Yua’s skin.

“Good.” Yua compliments as she shoves the pinky finger back into place. Kagome yelps as she does so and yanks herself free of Yua’s hands and stumbles back.

“Now keep the poison flowing for an hour. Then we will attempt shapes.” Satori was right. The girl was strong.

Kagome stares in awe as the poison continues to seep forward, It felt like water on her hands yet it burned Yua quite terribly. The soil in the garden seemed to be immune.

“What about antidotes?”

“Niece, all that are blood related, are immune.” Yua holds up the hand that Kagome thought was rotted away by poison only to see unmarked, perfect skin. That explained why Inuyasha was never marred when Sesshomaru used his poison against him.

Niece? Thats a first! For three years shes been human, miko, or pet. Niece was a welcomed change.

“The antidote is to only poison those you wish to perish.”

————————

“You’ve been speaking to gandmother in private a lot recently. Why is that?” Daichi asked while changing channels on his mother’s television.

She glanced at him for a quick second then went back to playing a game on her phone, “Just pack stuff.”

He nodded. The conversation ended there because despite being Kagome’s son and his grandmother’s heir, he was not apart of their pack. What they discussed was essentially none of his business and wouldn’t be told to him until he rose to power.

He belonged to his father for the time being, so he will let his mother and grandmother’s meetings continue without comment.

———————————

Ever since he took down the barrier between him and Kagome’s mark, all he ever felt was peace flowing into him. Strength. The mark acted on its own, constantly wrapping around his youki, seeking. What it was looking for Sesshomaru wasn’t sure.

Its weeks later when Sesshomaru feels something odd, the reiki that made up the mark begins to lessen. The only scar on his body, Kagome’s mark, begins to fade and instead of being relieved or happy. He felt miserable.

Mika didn’t make things any better. She was beginning to annoy him. There were little things she did and said that irked him to no end.

When he received the invitation to his mother’s birthday dinner, he didn’t refuse like he did every year. He RSPV’d and was sure to add he’d be bringing a guest.

Sesshomaru text Mika the date and told her to wear a formal kimono. It was important to make a good impression.

It was time to visit his mother’s home, and formally introduce his wife to his mother’s side of the family.

————————————

The dinner table filled with all of Satori’s favorite foods, the smells intoxicating and mouth watering! However things were not how they should’ve been.

Kagome seemed unfazed, content sitting next to her new mate. Though the union was one sided, they were still considered a pairing. Kagome seemed happier now, especially Kenji.

What really interested Satori was that it seemed her sisters and brother-in-laws liked Kagome far more than they had let on.

When Sesshomaru and Mika made their presence known, a few of them snarled. A few whispered of dishonor and egos.

It was the youngest sister that seemed to have had enough. When Mika picked up her chopsticks, it was as though that was the straw that broke the camels back.

“Sesshomaru!” She shouted in outrage “Teach your whore how to eat properly or else she’ll be thrown out on her ass!”

Mika gasped, “W-Wha-“

“Don’t you DARE speak.” Another sister growled.

Satori looked on thoroughly amused, her eyes drifted to her son to gage his reaction.

“Aunt Kari, refrain from speaking to my companion in such a manner.”

The eldest sister spoke next.

His Aunt bares her fangs at him, “Don’t presume to give orders in my sisters house! That mark on your forehead means nothing, you are lucky my sister even extended an invitation to you! A complete disgrace!”

Kari as the eldest sister, felt it was her duty to teach Sesshomaru and his companion a lesson in humility. The pure arrogance it took to show up with a demoness that had rejected a challenge from a human, and decided to wait for them to die so that they may take their place. She would teach them a lesson.

Kagome keeps her eyes focused on her plate, she wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on with Sesshomaru and her extended family. Kenji kept silent as well but he watched on in disappointment and was very much curious as to how Sesshomaru will handle the family he was determined to avoid for years at a time.

Satori continued to watch the scene before her, things were getting good!

“I am sick of this farce! I have had it!” Satori watches as Kari’s mate leaves the room and comes back with her niece, their daughter, a moment later.

The girl was short and thin, with sliver hair cut into a bob that tickled her elf like ears. Her tan skin free of any marks, there was no stripes, her forehead naked. But her facial resemblance to her mother and aunts spoke volumes.

Her sneakers squeaked annoyingly on the marble floor as she made her way to Kari who patted her head affectionately

“Mother” she acknowledges with a smile, her braces gleaming. Voice almost high pitched, feminine, haughty and mocking.

“Do it.” Her mother orders and with a nod she looks at Mika and begins her old world speech

“I, Seiko, Daughter of Lord Shiro from The Tribe of Clouds and Lady Kari from the Imperial House of the Moon, challenge Mika, from the lowly pits of earth to a battle for pack titles and status.”

Sesshomaru wants to answer for Mika, tell his cousin to leave but he can’t so he settles for “A first cousin that is barely 200 years old and 16 in human years that wishes to fight for the status of wife? I never thought my mother’s family would resort to such disgusting tactics when faced with loosing.”

Before anyone could respond Mika jumps to her feet and slams her hands on the dining room table “I, Mika, Lady of The Western Lands, accept your challenge!”

Mika looks at the girl before her with a smirk of her own. Seiko was a kid, she clearly didn’t know what she was getting into. It would be sad to kill one so young but she would gain status in Sesshomaru’s mother’s house! She’d live in one of the few shiros that survived the old world and the passage of time. She might even come into some wealth! She’d also have a better chance of killing Kagome and become Sesshomaru’s mate upon her death.

Seiko puts her hands in her pockets, “Well, since I am under the age of 80....”

Mika’s grin begins to fade

“And am still a minor according to modern Youkai law...”

Mika looks to Sesshomaru who places a calming hand on her shoulder.

“I choose my most cherished pack mate, Kagome Sigurashi-“

“Higurashi.” Kari corrects.

“Yes! Kagome Higurashi, to fight in my stead and to hold all titles won.”

Mika was a fool to come here Kari thought. All who resided in the palace knew of her cowardice. Knew that three years ago a challenge was issued and went unanswered. It was time to force her hand.

“SHE CAN’T DO THAT!”

“Seiko can. And she did. You accepted the challenge.”

Kari looks down the length of the table to Kagome, “Stand niece, uphold our packs honor.”

Kagome looks at Satori, she didn’t want to fight. She no longer wanted Sesshomaru. She just wanted peace. She just wanted to live her life and take solace in her new family, love her son, and get to know Kenji more.

Satori meets Kagome’s eyes and looks at her expectantly, “Daughter, follow your aunts demands.”

Kagome glares at Satori, but she holds her tongue, she knows better than to speak against her in front of company. To question her.

Kari smiles “Thank you little sister.”

Satori sighs, “Its my birthday. I’d like all of this to be settled quickly. Kagome, you have an hour to dispose of Sesshomaru’s friend who’s name I don’t care to remember. Use the dojo in the east wing.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, everyone out! Get going!” Satori shoos them away from the table. Her sisters quickly surround Kagome and escort her out. Murmurs of “Niece” floating in the air.

It reminded Satori of when she was pregnant with Sesshomaru. She and Taisho entered the dining hall, it was the first time anyone had seen her belly heavy with child, squeals of “Sister!” Echoed throughout the palace. When Taisho died and her sisters knew she failed in her attempts to revive him, they kept her secret. somber whispers of “Sister” filled her room as Kari sat her in a chair and carefully braided her hair, the others held her hands comforting her, while she sat stone faced and angry with unblinking eyes.

Despite being bratty and arrogant, they were not cruel. Even though they all believed she shouldn’t have mated him, and that she made mistakes raising Sesshomaru, never once did they taunt her about Tashio’s death.

Perhaps her sisters weren’t so bad after all...

—————————————

Kagome squeezed Kenji’s hand in apology as they make their way to the east side of the palace.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

Kagome was passed hoping for things to work with Sesshomaru. Wishing for him to return. She found happiness in herself. In her pack. Kenji was apart of that happiness, but the bulk of it she found while sitting in the gardens, or picking and poking at her new pack mates who she found actually respected her and would do anything to protect her. She found it in her son, and in helping him with his powers. She found it in her alpha’s over protectiveness.

She planned on removing her mark on Sesshomaru but part of her was scared of the unknown... seeing him tonight was, jarring. It awoke things in her she never wished to feel again. The jealously and insecurity she felt was gone. The love was still there but, it wasn’t the same anymore.

“They rally around her as if shes one of them.” Mika says as she watches the women and men of Sesshomaru’s Mother’s pack lightly touch Kagome’s shoulders, the top of her head and wrist as they walk. Covering her in their scent, totally sure of her victory.

“They are a strange breed, however it seems as though they like her.” Sesshomaru informs her. He doesn’t comment on the fact that the call her niece, yet he hasn’t been called “nephew” for years.

“How can I defeat her? Whats her weakness?” Sesshomaru frowns at Mika, “Well?” She urges him.

“Do not underestimate your opponent.” How dare she ask to be given inside information on a match such as this. Such a under handed tactics were unbecoming.

Mika nods and is quite the rest of the walk, she wasn’t exactly battle worn, but she had training and could hold her own.

They file into the dojo, and Mika immediately makes her way to the mat at the center of the room. While Kagome seems to take her time pulling her hair into a ponytail and removing her socks.

Kenji sits on a bench a few feet away from the training mats with the rest of Kagome’s pack. They look bored, as if the fight is already over. Some are on their phones, some are chatting about what they want for dessert when they head back to the dining room.

He’s known them all since they were born, helped them with their grief when their father, his best friend, died. They all held him in high regard, treating him as an uncle and then his first mate as an aunt. He knew the inner workings of their relationships and it seemed to him that, Kagome has grown on them. They all believe in her strength and care for her as member of the pack. Daichi must be happy.

“Hurry up human!” Mika runs her claws through her bright red hair, her ego on clear display. Kagome shakes her head in annoyance.

Kagome takes a deep breath, once her foot touches the mat, everything is fair game and the battle won’t end until one of them is dead. She looks at Sesshomaru and despite appearing relaxed, his fists were clenched. He was nervous.

As soon as Kagome’s toes touch the mat, Mika rushes her. Deciding to try brute strength to tire the human before using her youki.

Kagome erects a shield between them and the punch aimed for her face bounces off it.

“I thought you’d be a bit stronger..” Kagome mutters to herself out loud, enraging Mika.

Kagome forms 3 balls of reki and watches as Mika practically dances around them. While she’s distracted, reki the size of a marble is sent out as well.

Mika’s body becomes engulfed in flames just before the marble could hit and it takes all her strength to keep it from touching her. The small bit of purification retreats back to its owner. She then hurls 5 balls of fire toward Kagome who’s barrier purifies them out of existence.

Mika attempts to set the entire mat on fire with the goal of burning her opponent alive but Kagome is able to keep her flames at bay. Mika rushes Kagome again. This time she gets through and is shocked when Kagome’s glowing pink hand grabs her own and snuffs out the fire there. Mika breaks free and sends a kick Kagome’s way, she blocks it but her kimono is singed and almost burning with how close Mika is.

She’s sweating.

Mika’s eyes glow a deep dark red, and Kagome is almost scared.

A blast of purity sends Mika flying backwards and Kagome tries to quickly put out the fires on her sleeves.

Mika recovers and instead of aiming for Kagome directly she attempts to set fire to her clothes. Perhaps that would prove to be enough of a distraction for her to land a hit. And it almost works.

So focused on the balls of reki and setting Kagome a blaze, Mika doesn’t see the cluster of green darts until its too late.

Sesshomaru’s eyes widen in shock when he scents poison coming from Kagome. His poison.

The cluster hits Mika in her chest.

She screams in pain and begins to transform, the flames surrounding them intensifying. The growing heat of the flames burn at the poison before it could do anymore damage.

Kagome takes the opportunity to run towards Mika, her left hand glowing green and poisonous.

When she gets close enough she punches Mika in the face, the demonesses skin rips from her face and sticks to Kagome’s knuckles. Effectively stopping and distracting Mika from changing into her true from The poison Continues to eat away at her face. Not to be out done, Mika digs her claws into Kagome’s shoulder and rips down, blood splatters the both of them.

Kagome pulls Mika into a hug, her grip is tight and despite being clawed at and bit, Kagome holds firm. Her body glows pink and Mika crys out in agony, she screams for help and taking pity on her, Kagome pours as much reki as she could into Mika. The light blinds them all. Soon all is silent, and when the light subsides, Kagome is holding Mika’s empty kimono and at her feet is a pile of ashes.

————————————————

“50 minutes. 10 more and you would’ve been late.” Satori eyes Kagome from head to toe as she and everyone else who attended the challenge settle back in and take their seats.

“Why is your clothing ripped?”

“We were fighting Lady Satori.” Kagome smiles at Kenji as he pushes her chair in.

“It seems you are my daughter-in-law again. Daichi will be pleased when he hears the news.”

—————————————

Sesshomaru is last to enter the dining room. All chatter ceases, as his mother’s pack watches him with haughty gazes, light giggles are heard. He keeps his head held high. Kagome won, he would honor the victory, but that didn’t mean he would or even could stop caring about Mika.

His mother breaks the silence, “Tell me Kenji, how do you feel about earth?”

Kenji frowns, “I have no feelings for it, I attempt to understand the beings that occupy it but that is all I can do. I am a child of the vast skies.”

Nearly everyone nods in agreement.

“That may have to change, now that our Kagome, is queen once more.”

Sesshomaru interrupts, “I will take Kagome back, and re-establish our bond.”

“You will?” Kagome looks down the table at him, a delicate eyebrow raised, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

“Of course.“

Kenji shakes his head negatively, and Kagome huffs and begins to cut in to her cold steak that had long been forgotten. Kenji pours her glass of water and sits it near her and Kagome smiles at him in thanks.

“You did well.” He compliments.

“Yes, but she must learn not to play with her crab before placing it in the pot.” Satori nods in agreement with her sister’s mate. He was absolutely right.

Kagome chuckles at the macabre analogy.

————————————-

After dinner, long after everyone has said their goodbyes and retired for the evening, Sesshomaru is still awake. Pacing the halls.

He finds himself in what he liked to call the hall of portraits. There were large, timeless paintings of many aristocratic dog demons lining the walls.  
Some had crescent moons, some didn’t, some had black hair, some were blonde, some had skin as pale as the moon, some had skin as dark as the night sky, they all looked different in one way or another. All of them were beautiful, all had large furs draped around them. Some wore armor, some were wrapped in fine silks. Some were in their true forms.

Sesshomaru makes his way pass the portraits his grandparents, of the group painting of his mother and her many siblings, further still, and pass his aunts and their mates and children and stops in front of what used to be a portrait of him and mother and father. In its place was his much younger self and his mother. Her hands on his shoulders as he stood in front of her. His face was impassive as always while she had a light smile.

He enjoyed the painting, it was very well done. But he missed the one that included his father. He knew Taisho, knew what he sounded and looked like but a painting, no matter how old it maybe, was tangible.

“Sesshomaru.” Yua greets as she joins him in looking at the painting.

“I miss the days when you’d visit. Such potential.” Shes says longingly.

“Where is the painting of mother and father? If it isn’t displayed here, I wish to take it to the west.”

Yua looks at Sesshomaru curiously, “Satori destroyed it in a fit of rage ages ago. She got rid of everything but the tenseiga.” She didn’t know her nephew to be so clueless.

“Hn. If I didn’t know any better I’d think she had a vendetta.”

“Against who?” Yua questions. Satori left no enemy alive so being capable of having a vendetta with anyone was truly news.

“My father. Me.” Sesshomaru’s look of yearning and scent of guilt explains it all.

“She never told you..”

Sesshomaru is quiet as he waits for his aunt to elaborate. Yua was one of the few beings in the pack that was not unnecessarily cruel, and she did not lie. After a moment he looks her in her eye and notices how sad they've become.

“When Taisho died, Satori tried to bring him back.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes grow wide with this new knowledge. He had always thought Satori watched from her palace in the sky as his father died and hadn’t lifted a finger to help him.

“His soul refused her. Satori was so enraged she ripped the painting, destroyed everything that reminded her of him..”

Sesshomaru nods.

Yua continues, “The humans involved that didn’t die in the fire that night with Taisho, disappeared. An unfortunate accident decimated the Dragon youkai numbers and their water supply became toxic to them.”

“Mother?”

Yua shrugs, “It was all a simple case of bad luck.” She ends her statement with a wink and a smile.

——————————————————

Sesshomaru was sure to keep his manners in check. Though he couldn’t help but wish he had left last night, then he wouldn’t be stuck here having lunch with his mother, and his ex-mate.

“Tell us Sessho, what do you plan to do if Kagome returns to earth to rule?”

“As I stated last night. I will take Kagome back, and we will reign together.”

Kagome laughs, he sounded so sure of himself, “I will return to rule the west. However, Kenji will be apart of that.”

“And exactly why would he be there?”

“He is mine.” Kagome frowns at Sesshomaru, hoping he didn’t challenge her on this. Kenji had become so important to her, she wouldn’t leave him by himself.

“Hn, a one sided mating mark, who ever heard of such desperation.”

“One sided or not Kenji is mine. And Maybe I want to be his.”

Sesshomaru waves over a server to refill his wine glass, “Will that before or after you remove your mark from me?”

Kagome sighs, his arrogance used to be charming... Like Satori said, Sesshomaru was her match. She couldn’t keep him, and he couldn’t get rid of her, so it was up to Kagome to leave.

She wasn’t sure when she was going to do it, Kagome had thought they’d be civilized enough to have a conversation about it first.. come to an understanding and then it’d be done.

Expectations hardly ever align with reality.

A bright lightening of pink tries to escape from Sesshomaru but its encapsulated by green and dragged back into place. Kagome pulls her energy harder and to her surprise Sesshomaru’s youki holds firm.

Satori interrupts and gives Kagome some advice, “Darling, Perhaps if you had incapacitated him, then left him to rot for a few days before showing up and removing the mark, you’d have a better chance.”

The wine glass shatters in Sesshomaru’s hand.

“Let me go Sesshomaru. This is the only way.”

After a moment of thought, he shakes his hand free of glass and wine, and whispers “What way is that?”

“To secure the west.”

“Kagome, you are a liability. There is nothing you can do for the Western Lands. Just fall in line.”

Kagome stares at him in shock, never had she ever been a liability, “I have perverted the use of my holy powers to stand with you and cut down all those that opposed your vision! I have fought beside you in battle and bled for those lands and its people! I protected us when modern times came and the world wars began! I am not a liability!”

“Silence! Those times have come and gone! I no longer have a use for you!”

“Have a use for me!?”

“What do you think this whole thing has been about! You told me there were no demons in your time, did you think I wouldn’t do everything in my power to change that?! You’re a smart girl, figure it out Kagome.”

Kagome flops back into her seat, all color drained from her face, “I loved you.”

Sesshomaru narrows his eyes, “I know.”

“Did you ever love me?”

Sesshomaru scoffs, “Do not ask questions you already know the answer to.”

She looks at him in disbelief, her eyes searching his for reassurance that she didn’t waste 500 years of her life with a person whose only goal was to use her then toss her aside. Tears blur her vision and Kagome doesn’t have the strength to hold them back.

Satori pats Kagome’s knee in comfort, “Daughter if only you could smell the stench of his lies as they fall from his mouth. He is saying these things to hurt you.”

“Stay out of it!” Sesshomaru snaps at his mother who merely shakes her head in disappointment.

Sesshomaru rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair, seemingly unmoved by Kagome’s tears, evidence of her heartbreak.

Kagome looks away from him and adjusts her clothing, “I will reside on earth along with Kenji and we will do as we please. I am Lady of the Western Lands once again and I will do what I must to serve my people. You may take a mate, and that is fine, but she will NEVER be queen. I will never agree to a divorce. The next time I see you will be at the next cardinal meeting. I am done with this conversation.”

“How dare you presume to give me permission to do anything. Just who do you think you are?”

Kagome takes a sip of water and shrugs “I am the shikon miko, daughter of The Imperial House Of The Moon, bonded to Lord Kenji the General of the Obsidian Clan’s army and I am Lady of the Western Lands.”

Sesshomaru stands from his seat and makes his way toward the exit but just before he crosses the threshold, Kagome calls out to him, “You may hate me now, but I have always been loyal. I will protect you.”

Sesshomaru backtracks and beelines right to Kagome.

Sesshomaru looms over her slight form claws itching to rip through her, “Protect me!? You!? You could barely notch an arrow not too long ago, now you wish to protect me?! Preposterous!”

Kagome wipes tears from her face, “That was over 500 years ago, I was 15 years old.. Just listen for once! Something has happened to you.”

Satori looks at Kagome alarmed, “You mustn’t tell him now.”

She’s ignored.

“There is nothing wrong with me.” He snarls and he grabs Kagome's forearms to force her to her feet to look him in the eye.

“Then explain how such a low standing demoness like Mika managed to catch your interest. How did she manage to convince someone as honorable as you, to break so many vows?”

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to answer but the words never formed. His mind drew a blank. Just, how did he become so infatuated with her?

Kagome removes his hands from her and smooths down the crumpled material, “Satori and I didn’t want to tell you like this but, I think someone or something is making you act differently, I will find out what’s going on, but in the meantime, I will protect you and the west.”

“Theres is nothing wrong with me!”

Kagome sighs, “The last time something like this happened in the west, in five years time, Inu Taisho was dead.”

Sesshomaru’s mouth closes with a audible click.

His father left his mother for Izyaoi. The dragons attacked. The humans attacked. His father died.

“When it was clear that he no longer had the favor of The Imperial House Of The Moon, and their armies would not aid him in a war, he was attacked.”

“There will be no attack.”

“We shall see. I have no intention of stopping you from doing as you please Sesshomaru. Date and mate who ever you want, however we must show a united front, it doesn’t matter if its a lie.”

Satori smiles gently at her son, he was in denial. “We don’t know that for certain. You will have a press release and inform the media of your wife’s untimely demise in battle. Kagome will visit during the next cardinal lord meeting, in the meantime we will continue to live as is. No one wants a war, but it doesn’t hurt to be united. Land and sky. To show you have favor of both as well as a miko on your side.”

Sesshomaru eyes both his mother and Kagome with contempt, “I cared for Mika. She was not devious nor would she or her people conspire against the west.”

Satori nods in agreement, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean someone didn’t manipulate the situation. That someone didn’t nudge you in the right direction. Just embrace this time of peace.”

——————————

Daichi looks at his father in confusion. The more time he spent with the youkai that lived in the clouds the more he came to understand why they tended to avoid earth bound peoples. So much drama, so much smoke and mirrors.

“No, I have not and I will never plot or aid anyone in any plans against the west.. Father what is this about?”

“Your grandmother and mother are up to something.”

When he found out about Mika’s demise, Daichi thought everything would fall into place. But his father still hasn’t gotten the memo and begged his mother for forgiveness. And his mother is still traipsing around with Kenji. All that’s change in the few months that have gone by is the intensity of his training when he visits his grandmother. He trains with his uncles, his aunts, and occasionally his mother. While his father does nothing. Sesshomaru hasn’t sparred with him in years and he hasn’t seen his father training in the dojo for just as long. It was strange.

“I don’t think they are..”

“And Kenji?”

“He seems innocent enough.”

“I need you to spend more time with them. Report back anything suspicious. Can I trust you as my heir, as my only son, to do this?”

Daichi searches his fathers troubled golden eyes and fights the urge to hug him, this was serious. “Yes.”

———————————

After having that brief conversation with his father, Daichi was sure he was being prepared for something.

“Unleash your youki. All of it.”

His mother had turned into a taskmaster under his very nose and it took his father’s suspicion to highlight it.

Daichi did as he was told, and a thundering crackle of lightning began to split the air. And unknown force of wind began to sweep his hair and clothes around. He kept his face passive as he was trained too when he was but a pup.

The other demons in the room either fell to their knees or fled the dojo to escape the oppressive nature of his power. The only ones standing was himself and his mother.

Kagome nodded her head, “You are still so weak.” Her jibe caused Daichi to wince. It was a lie, he was strong. Stronger than many. And almost stronger than her. She hated to say such negative things but Satori and others said it was necessary to unlock his potential, to make him try harder.

“Can you even break my barrier?”

“Yes.”

“Then do it.”

Kagome watched Daichi sent a wave of power her way and red lightning striking the protective bubble of reiki surrounding her. He was holding back.

She sighs in disappointment, “Why are we doing this if you won’t utilize your full potential?”

“I am trying.”

“No you aren’t.” It’s then Kagome calls in the one person Daichi would have no problem unleashing his power on.

Daichi fights to maintain his composure as Kenji enters the dojo, walks pass him and stands next to Kagome. He tries to be polite and keeps his youki from pressing down on Kenji.

“Break the barrier.”

Daichi watches as his mother's energy engulfs Kenji in protective energy.

“Just like we have mikos that are allies to the west, the other lords have them as well. Break the barrier.”

This time its instantaneous, the barrier breaks and Kenji is struggling to remain on his feet.

Daichi almost smirks but then Kenji unsheathes his sword, breaks through his energy and rushes to strike him. Hes almost a blur as the black of Kenji’s youki functions as a makeshift shield. Daichi tries to weaponize his youki but as soon as he tries to lash out, Kenji’s blade is at his neck.

“Stop hesitating.” Kenji whispers out of breath, his strength close to depletion.

Daichi looks at him with wide eyes, and recalls his youki back into himself. A new found respect for Kenji budding inside him.

Kagome smiles fondly as Daichi continues to look at Kenji in awe while the older sheaths his weapon and leaves.

“I didn’t know he was so strong..”

“You under estimated him. Kenji didn’t obtain the status of general for no reason.”

“I can beat him.”

“You can, if you stop hesitating. If this was real, you have to break the shield, incapacitate or kill.”

Daichi looks at Kagome with a frown, “Mom, its 2107, theres no more war. This is just for the sake of tradition.”

“Tradition or not, its better to be safe than sorry. Especially when you are to inherit both heaven and earth.”

Kagome steps closer to her son, reaches up and rubs one of his ears. The familiar feeling of plush velvet between her fingers brings back a memory, “Your uncle would always have a fit when I touched his ears.”

—————————————

Kagome sat next to Sesshomaru in the boardroom while Kenji sat in a chair against the wall directly behind her. While waiting for the other lords and ladies to arrive Kagome made it a habit to play a game on her phone. While Sesshomaru ignored her and Kenji read a book.

Finally she looked at the time and realized they were behind schedule.

“They’re late..” she mumbles.

Kagome puts her phone in her pocket and stands up to stretch, its then that she’s grabbed from behind by Kenji while Sesshomaru shields her front from the blast of a bomb. Kenji’s back crashes through the glass window behind him and Kagome screams while staring into Sesshomaru’s eyes as flames erupt from behind him. He’s engulfed.

Kenji’s lands roughly on his back, but in a flash he’s up and running towards the nearest window and jumping. The concrete of the side walk cracks and pedestrians look up in fright as another explosion is heard. More youkai jump from windows carrying their human co-workers and friends, getting them to safety as they rush back into the building to save more of those who maybe trapped.

Kenji brushes glass out of Kagome’s hair, quickly checks her for injuries. She tries to go back inside only to get thrown over Kenji’s shoulder and whos running as fast as he could.

He ignores her second scream.

And keeps going towards the portal that connected the skies to earth.

————————————-

She was in shock.

He protected her.

She screamed his name.. h

He didn’t come.

————————————-

Once they made it to the portal Kagome was placed on her feet, and she promptly ignored Kenji.

The guardians on duty bowed to Kagome and as soon as she was close enough she gave her orders.

“There has been an attack. As Lady of the West and Daughter of The Imperial House Of The Moon, all borders are closed till the conclusion of a formal investigation. Do not cross this border unless you have a place to stay. Please, be sure you have a place to stay. You! Get on the radio and close the other three portals, now. The fox is the last person on line, once they have entered, the rest of the guardians may leave. Any who arrive after the fox are to be turned away and directed to the western fortress. No one in or out, even if its me.”

With that Kagome turns and tries to get a sense of where she is in the city... across town. An hour and a half away from the initial attack.

Kenji attempts to place a hand on her shoulder but the flare of her aura warns him back.

Kagome takes every God there is that she wore flats to the meeting and begins her 20 minute trek to her son’s house. Taking out her phone she bites back a curse when she sees the cracked screen.

“Kagome..”

“You’ve made me a coward.”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“You didn’t want to lose your connection. I have never ran from a battle before.. what must my people think of me now!? I LEFT HIM!” She screams in rage at Kenji who can’t help but to shrink back .

Kagome takes a deep breath to calm herself and calls Daichi’s phone.

“Mom!? Where are you?!”

“I’m alright. Im on my way to your house now for a change of clothes.”

“Wheres dad!? Kenji!?”

“Kenji is here... dad.. I don’t. I don’t know.”

“Okay... its okay. He’ll be fine. Just hurry up and get here!”

With that last command from her son the call ends.

Kagome continues on her short journey and calls the one person she is dredging a conversation with.

The phone rings once.

“Kagome! You and Daichi are to come HOME this INSTANT!!”

Kagome sighs and picks up her pace, “We can not abandon the west.”

“What!? Sesshomaru is fully capable.” The confidence she had in her was was unshakable. She was sure of him. It was as if it had already happened.

“I didn’t see him come out the building.. I left him behind.”

The line is quiet. She can’t even hear Satori’s breathing. “Is he alive?”

Kagome reaches for the piece of her that makes up her mating mark, and right away she feels Sesshomaru. His energy strong and bright.

“Yes.”  
“Good. Come to the palace immediately.”

“I must stay here. I’ve already closed the borders. Daichi must stay and if theres a battle. He must fight.”

If something happens Sesshomaru or her, Daichi needed to be able to ascend the throne and be recognized as lord of the west. He needed to be here to defend his people, to show them he was capable.

“What of Kenji?

“He’s here.”

“Good. After this the kingdom will go dark and shut off all modern ways of communication. Daughter.... If you need help...”

“I know what to do.”

Kagome hangs up and tosses her phone into the street where its run over by a car. She jogs the short distance left to Daichi’s.

He swings the door open and hugs her close, then goes about preparing for.. what he wasn’t sure. Kagome goes straight to the room she stayed all those years ago and pulls out a small laptop from a dresser drawer.

She logs in she reads what intel her people have gathered thus far. Sesshomaru was on his way home, the cardinal lords and ladies were dead. Majority of them were killed while getting ready to leave their homes or while pulling out of their driveway. Meaning the bombs in the boardroom were backup precaution incase someone slipped out of reach. This person wanted to rule all of Japan and felt entitled to the position.

The person claiming responsibility of the murders, for the attack on her and Sesshomaru, was....

Kagome ‘s vision blurs, she starts to hyperventilate, it had to be a lie. It couldn’t be!

Hearing her name she finally looks up at Kenji as he looks at her worriedly.

“Kagome.. “

Her face feels hot, before she knows it shes pushing past him and into the bathroom to throw up. A pained sob ripping its way through her chest.

Kenji picks the forgotten laptop off the floor, the first thing he notices about the person in the photo is their ears, he looks at their face and staring back at him is a male with a familiar pair of golden eyes..


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told some of you Saturday, sorry! I didn’t have time to post. But here it is! The second part as requested! Thank you so much for reading and liking this mess of a story lol again please feel free to comment, tell me what you like, dislike, tell me what you think. If you have questions, please ask!!!
> 
> Again... I didn’t proof read anything. This is just a outline that I pretty much abandoned.

Kagome splashes water on her face. Avoiding looking in the mirror, she stares at the sink, her mind racing.

She berates herself for being so foolish. Had her past life taught her nothing!? 

Inuyasha was being set up. 

She runs her fingers through her hair and takes a deep breath. It was time to compartmentalize, to close the door on her emotions and to truly think.

Upon exiting the bathroom she continues to ignore Kenji. Her honor had cracks because of him. They cared for one another, they truly did. They were friends. But the only reason he put up with her because he was able to feel complete by being attached to her. Being apart of a bond. She was using him too, she and Satori were using him to extend her life. They both got what they wanted but his actions to day, could have cost Sesshomaru his life. 

“Leave the laptop. Go downstairs while I change.” 

Kenji, not wanting to argue, does as she asks.

After a moment, Kagome searches the draws for clothes she was sure she left behind but they were empty. Daichi had cleared all of her clothing and moved it to her new home in the sky 4 years ago, when this mess all started. She had a pair of sneakers downstairs still. So that was something.

She goes down the hall to Daichi’s room and into his closet to steal a pair of sweat pants and a shirt.

Once changed she makes her way downstairs only to see Daichi glaring at Kenji.

She calls to him, “Daichi!” 

“Yea.” He answers her but doesn’t take his eyes off of Kenji.

“Be a dear, and call your uncle.”

“Is he really the one behind this?” He finally looks at his mother and fights the urge to laugh at her wearing his clothes. Shirt and pants, baggy yet kind of stylish. 

“Call him.”

He takes out his phone and calls, and with a signal from Kagome put the phone on speaker.

“Nephew!” Inuyasha’s familiar voice greets.

Kagome questions nods to Daichi, and he quickly plays along.

“Uncle, somethings happened at the cardinal lords meeting, I can't get in contact with mom or dad.” Daichi sounds frantic and scared, playing his part of concerned son to the T.

“Where are you?”

Kagome shakes her head negatively.

“I’m at grandmothers, she’s gonna shut off the electricity up here soon.”

“Well, I just landed in Japan a few hours ago, just come down here and we will look for them together.” Inuyasha’s voice is calm. Not at all panicked or concerned, he sounds almost bored.

Daichi assures his uncle he’d be able to meet him in a few hours, he just needed time to sneak out the castle.

“Where should I meet you?” 

“Home.” The call ends and both Daichi and Kenji looks at Kagome expectantly.

“We have to get to your father.”

————————————

Kagome insisted on waiting till night fall before leaving the house, urging them into the basement and rushing to the attic to from the roof when the time to leave came. Wrapping their auras tight against their bodies and shielding their scents as to be invisible to any youkai lurking. Kenji holds Kagome as he and Daichi jump and land in the neighborhoods back yard. From there they run.

The streets were empty. The lights were off in all the houses, no pedestrians, no cars driving. It was clear Sesshomaru had issued a lockdown. And for that she was grateful. 

Once far away enough, Kagome gets on to Kenji’s back and they leap from roof top to roof top. Kagome guiding their way to where she felt Sesshomaru was. 

Thats when it dawned on her that she could feel him. He had taken down the barrier around her mark... but why?

_______________________________

Kagome directs them and to her surprise they end up in the middle of a grove of trees in a city park.

When they finally meet up with Sesshomaru, he's wearing the fine silks of his house. The familiar yellow and purple obi tied loosely around his armor... the only difference between then and now was that his hair was tied into a ponytail.

“Kagome.” He greets, he then hands her a package wrapped in twine. Kagome frowns, she doesn’t take the item offered and instead begins to apologize.

“I am sorry for leaving. I should have stayed.”

Sesshomaru tilts his head to side, “Hn, he lets you take the blame for his actions? I didn’t think highly of Kenji before, but his name is certainly in the gutter now.”

Kenji remains quite as Sesshomaru insults him. For once It was deserved.

“It wasn’t his fault.”

Sesshomaru places the package into her hands, “Go change behind the trees. We haven’t much time.”

Kagome nods and makes her way into the thickest part of their surroundings and quickly changes into the outfit she thought she’d never have to wear again. A demon slayer suite Sango made for her as a gift. It was identical to hers, except for the small crest moon placed on the collar.

——————-

Once she was out of sight Sesshomaru looks at his son and nods in approval seeing him in his black jeans and black shirt, the sword made from his fang on his sons hip. Daichi never liked to wear armor.

Speaking loudly enough for Kagome to hear Sesshomaru gives them what intel he has, “According to what we have found out. Many have been killed, mostly royalty. Inuyasha has recruited a small army to aid him in his endeavors. It seems that his plan is to kill us all, and as the last remaining son of Taisho, take control of the west, and as the only cardinal lord old enough to rule, seize control of all of Japan while simultaneously killing the offspring of the royal families to keep control.”

“Why now?” Daichi questions.  
“Why do this to us? We’re his pack!”

Kagome re-emerges from the shadows, leaving her old clothes behind.

“You and Sesshomaru are simply related to him.”

Kenji shakes his head in confusion, “Is he not yours, Sesshomaru?” He recalls Lady Satori telling him long ago to look after Inuyasha, Kenji’s friend, Sesshomaru’s grandfather telling him to do the same.

“I refused to take him in.” Sesshomaru looks to Daichi with guilt ridden eyes, “I.. I was foolish back then.” 

“Maybe he didn’t know you guys would be there?”

Kagome smiles sadly at her son the moves on to dress the group, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting this situation under control. We have to keep this simple, the army is to protect the Western Fortress. Thats were our people will go to seek shelter, food, and water. Have you deployed soldiers to defend the hospitals?”

“Yes. I followed the emergency plan as we’ve always discussed.”

“Good, now lets get Inuyasha.”

“You know where he is” Sesshomaru questions shocked that Kagome could find his brother so easily yet he had people tracking him for hours who didn’t even know he had crossed their borders.

“I called him and he said to meet him at home.” Daichi shrugs, Inuyasha didn’t have a place in Japan, when his uncle visited he usually stayed with his parents. 

“The condo?” Sesshomaru questions with a tilt of his head and Kagome chuckles. She looks toward the east, and if she strained her eyes hard enough, she could see the torii gate.

“Inuyasha and I’s home.. The shrine.”

—————————————

Kagome hops off of Kenji’s back and looks up the long staircase that leads to the house she used to live in, and the well that started it all. 

She had stopped coming here after Sota’s great granddaughter passed away. She never sold it, and was hoping to keep it in the family my passing it on to her son. Despite not costing the shrine, Kagome hired a people to check on the place a few times a month other than that, the property was vacant.

Kenji flares his aura and the blackness of it wraps around his body completely until he disappears from view. A shadow.

Once they reach the courtyard, Sesshomaru steps forward and scans the area, he couldn’t see, smell or feel Inuyasha anywhere.

Kagome takes Daichi’s hand and leads him to her favorite place in the world, the god tree. The branches of Goshinboku were far reaching and seemed to be beckoning her closer.

“I haven’t been here since I was a kid..” 

Kagome nods. They both had such great memories of this place...

Soon Sesshomaru joins them a scowl on his face, “the grounds are clear. This obviously isn’t the home he meant.”

Kagome turns away from the tree and shakes her head, “THIS is home. He knew I was listening to the conversation, when he said it. He’s here.”

Sesshomaru looks down his nose at her and its then that Daichi witnesses first hand how horrible his father was to his mother. He had never seen or heard them arguing, never saw his father give her a dirty look. Until today. Kagome clenches her hand tighter around his and turns away from Sesshomaru.

——————————————-

“Inuyasha!” Kagome shouts into the night.

“A warning wouldve been nice” Daichi’s ears flush against his head but he’s still wincing in pain. Sesshomaru staring at her with narrowed eyes

“Sorry..” 

“You could get that volume thing situated.”

Inuyasha days from above them, sitting high in the branches of the god tree.

“You cut your hair.” Was her first words to him in years. His long wild locks were now neatly cut, his bangs tamed. 

He drops down and even though Kagome saw many times without his red fire rat haroa, seeing him in “modern” clothing was always jarring. She eyes him tetsusaiga on his hip, jeans and long sleeved red turtleneck, thankful that he didn’t have on any shoes and that something about him stayed the same.

Before she could say much else a red barrier forms over her and Sesshomaru has Inuyasha by the neck. 

“What’s wrong brother?” Inuyasha smirks at him, delighting in his anger.

“It wasn’t him.” Kagome says resolutely. 

“You have betrayed all of Japan and will pay with your life.” 

“Tell him it wasn’t you Inuyasha.” 

“Who do you have under your employ? “

Inuyasha continues to silently smile at his brother, searching golden eyes that look so much like his own.. “How is it that she still has so much faith in me?”

Daichi puts a hand on his mother’s shoulder to not only calm her, but to keep her from doing something stupid.

“I did it Kagome. I had the cardinal lords and ladies murdered. I personally detonated the bomb that was meant to kill you.”

Kagome clenches a fist, “Is someone making you do this?”

Before she could get an answer Inuyasha grabs hold of Sesshomaru’s arm and uses it as leverage to kick him in the chest. Sesshomaru’s hold breaks as he stumbles back, Kagome rushes through Daichi’s barrier to stand between the two brothers and is shocked to see Inuyasha hot on her tail with a dagger aimed at her.

“What are you doing!?” She shouts as she dodges.

Theres a flare of reiki from behind and to her surprise Daichi is fighting a woman dressed in all black wielding a staff.

Kagome makes her way to Sesshomaru’s side, if theres one miko there may be others. They weren’t as powerful as her and none could purify Sesshomaru, thanks to her mark, so there was a bright side to this.

“Why are you even here Kagome? Didn't Sesshomaru abandon you for some air head social climber?” Inuyasha folds his arms and looks at her expectantly.

“Inuyasha..”

“Mika was a good girl.”

Sesshomaru lunges for Inuyasha and just before he could make it glowing beads streak from out of the tree line and surround him to take the form of a necklace. It stops him in his tracks and keeps him from moving.

Kagome takes out a dagger and runs pass Sesshomaru, it glows bright in her hands as she aims for her one time best friend. 

Kagome does her best to keep up as Inuyasha dodges her attacks, “If you think I made him leave you, you're wrong.” 

“Shut up!” Kagome yells using her reiki to increase her speed and Inuyasha continues to egg her on “He found her attractive, the spell just gave him the extra push needed to get rid of you.”

It’s then that Kenji appears behind Inuyasha, drenched in blood. He raises his sword to strike but Inuyasha is faster and draws tetsusaiga, when the blades collide Kenji’s break.

Kagome sends a ball of reiki Inuyasha’s way and at the last second, allows the energy to hit Kenji in shoulder. Sending him flying backwards.

Inuyasha puts tetsusaiga away and looks at Kagome questioningly, “He killed the youkai I had with me here. He’s with you.”

“Yes.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“You.. you were my best friend. you used to be pack.”

Inuyasha scoffs as he dodges another attack from Kagome, “You left me for some asshole who couldn’t keep it in his pants!”

“I didn’t leave you! Everyone moved on with their lives! Heck even Shippo had a girlfriend!”

Finally she lands a hit, a thin line of red appears across Inuyasha’s cheek, but he doesn’t seem fazed. “You left us!”

“You never came to see me! Never cared to write me back! Never bothered to call me!”

“The both of you left me! There was nothing to talk about!”

“Shut up!” Inuyasha goes on the offensive yet Kagome is able to dodge him, he grabs hold of her arm and is forced to let go by the reiki protecting her body.

“He left me to rot as a kid and the one good thing about my life he stole. Its time to repay the favor!”

“This can be fixed, just stop!”

“He hated our father and I’ve turned him into Taisho! But unlike the old man, Sesshomaru isn’t fit to rule!”

“Inuyasha! We can work this out! It’s not too late!”

“Kagome why do you think I chose the shrine? Unlike Takamaru I don’t plan to die here!” he swipes at Kagome’s head and manages to cut a piece of her braid.

Things start to click for Kagome, yes the shrine was home but it was his way of getting back at Sesshomaru. Taisho died in Izyaoi’s home as it went up in flames.... 

Inuyasha backs up a distance and draws tetsusaiga again, “Wind Scar!!”

Kagome erects a barrier over herself and Sesshomaru she turns to check on Daichi and is pleased to see that he has a red bubble surrounding him and that his opponent is dead.

When the attack and smoke clears, Kagome points to where the beads around his father came from and Daichi takes off with his sword in hand. Shouts from men and women could be heard, shocked that their purification powers didnt work against a demon.

The beads surrounding Sesshomaru fall to the ground useless as he unsheathes tokijin and approaches Inuyasha, “You will pay for your crimes.” 

Kagome unable to do anything at this point goes to check on Kenji and apologize. She approaches his prone form slowly, looking at him she realizes there’s a lot more blood present than there should be.

She turn him on to his back and wipes blood from his face, she checks him for additional wounds And finds nothing. 

“The blood isn’t mine.. I took care of the others that he had with him.” Kenji looks at Kagome coldly. 

“I’m sorry Kenji..”

“You attacked me.”

“I know.” Kagome places a hand on his shoulder and begins to heal him, 

“I will be telling my alpha about this.. as well as Lady Satori.”

Kagome stops and looks into his dark, almost black eyes. She runs her fingers through his hair. 

“You mean that.”

To prove himself, Kenji places a hand on her arm, over his mating mark and removes it.

Kagome shakes her head sadly, “Fine.”

The hand on Kenji’s shoulder turns green and he crys out in pain as Kagome places that same green hand on his neck to silence him.

“I am sorry. Truly. I am. But I can’t have you stirring up trouble.”

When shes sure that Kenji has died she purifies the poison, leaving only the marks on his neck and shoulder.

She turns to see Sesshomaru standing over Inuyasha and wiping his blade his blade clean. 

Kagome joins him and kneels down next to Inuyasha and brushes his bangs from his face, “He’s still alive...” 

“He is my brother.”

Daichi emerges from the trees and Sesshomaru points to Inuyasha, “destroy his youki.”

Kagome’s gut reaction was to protect him, the man who was her first love and once upon a time was her best friend.. but she had done enough already. Instead she puts his head in her lap as Daichi puts his hands on Inuyasha’s chest.

Daichi sends his purification powers to speed through Inuyasha’s body and pull Inuyasha’s youki forward. As it surfaces, Daichi allows his youki to devour his uncle’s so that it could never regenerate.

Inuyasha’s hair fades from silver, to grey, to black. His claws replaced by nails. 

Above him, Kagome stares at his face. He was vulnerable now, no way to protect himself, or others. No way to harm others either...

“It’s done.” Daichi quickly stands, this wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing but it always left him shaken up. Not wanting to be anywhere near his uncle, he leaves as fast as possible. 

Sesshomaru plucks Inuyasha out of Kagome’s lap and tosses him over his shoulder.

“He will spend the rest of his life in jail. And I will have our people track down his associates and bring them to justice as well.” 

Kagome nods. 

“Kenji has perished?”

She nods again.

“You have my condolences.”

“Thank you.” She whispers.

“And you have my apologies for.. everything.”

Kagome looks up at Sesshomaru and for the first time in a long time, the person looking back at her is familiar. His eyes warm, aura open.

She looks away and begins to make her way back across town to Daichi’s house to shower and wait for Sesshomaru to re-open the borders. she can’t up but wonder how will Satori and the Obsidian clan respond to the death of Kenji.. what will happen now that Sesshomaru is back to “normal“.. Inuyasha’s sentence of life, a human life, in prison was light and she knew Sesshomaru and her were going to get a lot of bad press about it. 

Yet and still she was determined to stand with her family. With her pack.

________________________

“Dad! It’s been 5 years! Why can’t I have the tetsusaiga? Uncle Yasha can’t use it anymore and you can’t even touch it!” 

Sesshomaru turns away from his son to look out the window. He watches as his mother and Kagome walk through the snow filled gardens, discussing what new flowers and herbs to plant once winter has passed.

He leaves the decision of what sword to give to his son up to Daichi’s answer to a simple question.

“Tell me Daichi... Have you someone to protect?” 

“Protect?”


End file.
